Understanding Differences between Divorced and Int Stress, Interaction, and Child Outcome

by Ronald L. Simons

• ISBN13: 9780803951617
• ISBN10: 0803951612
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1996-06-24
• Publisher: Sage Publications

Summary

How do divorced and intact families differ? Is there a link between parental divorce and child adjustment? How do parents and children in divorced families interact differently from those in intact families? Understanding Differences Between Divorced and Intact Families offers valuable insights on these and other important questions. The research team behind this volume has assembled and analyzed data from two large-scale studies of midwest families--one examining intact families, the other examining divorced families. The findings illustrate the special stresses each type of family suffers and the impact of divorce on children. This groundbreaking volume opens with a model of the impact that parental divorce has on child development, and it emphasizes the ways in which family structure, differences in stress, and parental adjustment account for the fact that children of divorce show more conduct and emotional problems than those from intact families. Addressing a crucial topic for scholars, practitioners, and researchers, Understanding Differences Between Divorced and Intact Families is a major contribution to the fields of family studies, developmental psychology, and sociology. "Understanding Differences Between Divorced and Intact Families is a significant and provocative contribution to the literature. Unlike most studies of single-parent families, Ronald L. Simons and colleagues designed an imaginative study capitalizing on diverse methods, reliable measures, and multiple informants to gather rich information on theoretically important variables. The book is logically organized to address a range of concerns commonly voiced about single-parent families, and each chapter is guided by a careful consideration of alternative theoretical arguments. The findings provide important new evidence and the book is a must read for students, researchers, and policymakers." --David H. Demo, University of Missouri, Columbia

Table of Contents

Preface

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION - Ronald L Simons

The Effect of Divorce on Adult and Child Adjustment - Ronald L Simons

The Sample, Data Collection Procedures, and Measures

PART TWO: MATERNAL STRESS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING - Ronald L Simons, Christine Johnson, and Frederick O Lorenz

Family Structure Differences in Stress and Behavioral Predispositions - Frederick O Lorenz, Ronald L Simons, and Wei Chao

Family Structure and Mother's Depression

PART THREE: FAMILY INTERACTION - Ronald L Simons and Christine Johnson

Mother's Parenting - Ronald L Simons and Jay Beaman

Father's Parenting - Rand D Conger and Katherine J Conger

Sibling Relationships

PART FOUR: CHILD OUTCOMES - Ronald L Simons and Wei Chao

Conduct Problems - Les B Whitbeck, Ronald L Simons, and Elizabeth Goldberg

Adolescent Sexual Intercourse - Rand D Conger and Wei Chao

Adolescent Depressed Mood - Glen H Elder Jr and Stephen T Russell

Academic Performance and Future Aspirations

PART FIVE: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS - Ronald L Simons

Theoretical and Policy Implications of the Findings