The Role of Social Participation in Postseparation and Postdivorce Adjustment

Abstract

This study examines the role of social participation in postseparation and postdivorce adjustment. The subjects, 277 members of Parents without Partners chapters in two metropolitan areas, were administered a 273-item questionnaire containing the Postdivorce Problems and Stress Scale especially constructed for this research. It was found that higher levels of social participation were strongly related to lower stress. The following questions were also explored: (a) When do people participate more? (b) When is social participation particularly important for alleviating stress? and (c) Why do older males participate more than younger males and all females?

The Effectiveness of a Community Group Intervention Program on Adjustment to Separation and Divorce

“…In their study, Marks and Lambert (1998) found that women more so than men were likely to experience more of a decline in self-esteem following marital dissolution. Therefore, according to Raschke (1977), for many research participants, lower self-esteem was associated with poorer separation adjustment. Support systems are important to individuals during times of crises and transition (Caplan, 1976;Milardo, 1987).…”

“…Adequate social support networks during the separation and divorce period are helpful (Capalan, 1976) in facilitating adjustment to separation (Kunz & Kunz, 1995;Raschke, 1977;Spanier & Casto, 1979). Specifically, women tend to find emotional and social support more beneficial (Smerglia, Miller & Kort-Butler, 1999) while men tend to receive less socially supportive behaviours (Waggener & Galassi, 1993), although it has been contended that men are less likely than women to seek social support (Steenbergen-Richmond & Hendrickson-Christensen, 2000).…”

Job Satisfaction of Married, Divorced, and Single Working Women in a Medical Setting

“…Kornhauser (1965) noted that workers who reported that they were able to use their cognitive skills on the job were more mentally healthy. Raschke (1977) also found that work contributes to the postseparation and post-divorce adjustment of women. It is also possible that, out of necessity, divorced women isolate their work from the problems of their personal lives.…”

After Divorce

“…Other researchers havc examined variables affecting the adjustment Downloaded by [University of Strathclyde] at 23:05 03 October 2014 Sandra Paul Thomas 2 1 process such as age, sex, children, number of years married, financial difficulties, degree of commitment to marriage, social support systems and social participation, psychiatric problems in the divorcing dyad, sex role attitudes, ethnicity, level of self-esteem, interaction with ex-spouse, kin, and friends, and whether the divorce was self-initiated or involuntary (Goode 1956, Blair 1969Chiriboga, Roberts and Stein 1978;Hetherington, Cox and Cox 1978;Granvold, Pedler and Schellie 1979;Spanierand Casto 1979: Norton andGlick 1976;Kressel and Deutsch 1977;Raschke 1977;Rose and Price-Bonham 1973;Pais 1978;Weiss 1975;Bloom, White and Asher 1978;Brown and Manela 1978;Herman 1977;Gray 1978;Spicer and Hampe 1975;Chiriboga and Cutler 1977).…”