Emerging Adults and Parental Divorce: Coming to Terms with “What Might Have Been”

The main aim of this study was to analyze the associations between parental divorce and interparental conflict with the quality of parent-child relationships. Specifically, we analyzed trust, communication and alienation in both father-child and mother-child relationships in a sample of 1078 Spanish emerging adults from divorced and non-divorced families. The interaction between parental divorce and conflict was also analyzed. In support of our expectations, parental divorce was associated with lower trust and communication, along with higher alienation in father-child and mother-child relationships. When interparental conflict was included, parental conflict was more strongly associated with lower trust and communication in mother-child relationships, and higher alienation in both mother-child and father-child relationships. However, parental divorce was still associated with low trust and communication with fathers, when interparental conflict and the interaction between parental divorce and conflict were added. In summation, our results suggest that both parental divorce and conflict should be taken into account in the study of the consequences of family-related stress variables on adult children’s wellbeing. These findings add to the current literature and contribute to better comprehend the effects of parental divorce and conflict on both mother-child and father-child affective relationships in an understudied cultural context. The implications, limitations and future research recommendations are discussed.

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“I’m Scared because Divorce Sucks”: Parental Divorce and the Marital Paradigms of Emerging Adults

Journal of Family Issues ◽

10.1177/0192513x19880933 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 41 (6) ◽

pp. 711-738

Author(s):

Brian J. Willoughby ◽

Spencer James ◽

Ian Marsee ◽

Madison Memmott ◽

Renée Peltz Dennison

Keyword(s):

Emerging Adults ◽

Mixed Method ◽

Qualitative Data ◽

Parental Divorce ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Mixed Method Design ◽

Attitudes Toward Marriage ◽

Quantitative Results ◽

Marital Beliefs ◽

The Impact

Previous studies have suggested that parental divorce influences the relational beliefs and orientation toward marriage of adolescents and emerging adults. Most of this previous work has been limited to links between parental divorce and global attitudes toward marriage or attitudes toward divorce. Using a mixed-method design, the current study explored links between parental divorce and various aspects of emerging adults’ marital paradigms using cross-sectional, longitudinal, and qualitative data among a sample of unmarried emerging adults. Quantitative results suggested that parental divorce was linked to a variety of negative marital beliefs including less overall marital importance, less marital permanence, and less marital centrality. There was no evidence of longitudinal changes in these associations over time. Qualitative results among emerging adults with divorced parents revealed several key themes in how emerging adults viewed the impact of parental divorce, suggesting implications for perceived interpersonal competence and the internalization of negative marital beliefs stemming from parental role modeling.

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The Effects of Parental Divorce in Single and Romantically Involved Emerging Adults

Journal of Divorce & Remarriage ◽

10.1080/10502556.2016.1233788 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 57 (7) ◽

pp. 504-516

Author(s):

Mylène Lachance-Grzela ◽

Geneviève Bouchard

Keyword(s):

Emerging Adults ◽

Parental Divorce

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Parental Divorce and Emerging Adults’ Subjective Well-Being: The Role of “Carrying Messages”

Journal of Child and Family Studies ◽

10.1007/s10826-015-0229-0 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 638-646 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Sagrario Yárnoz-Yaben ◽

Alaitz Garmendia

Keyword(s):

Emerging Adults ◽

Parental Divorce ◽

Well Being ◽

Subjective Well Being

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A Longitudinal Study of Mental Health in Emerging Adults

Swiss Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1024/1421-0185/a000132 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 73 (3) ◽

pp. 135-141 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Monica S. Bachmann ◽

Hansjörg Znoj ◽

Katja Haemmerli

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Emerging Adults ◽

Poor Mental Health ◽

Need Satisfaction ◽

Computer Assisted ◽

Consistency Model ◽

Negative Effect ◽

The Cross ◽

Health Model

Emerging adulthood is a time of instability. This longitudinal study investigated the relationship between mental health and need satisfaction among emerging adults over a period of five years and focused on gender-specific differences. Two possible causal models were examined: (1) the mental health model, which predicts that incongruence is due to the presence of impaired mental health at an earlier point in time; (2) the consistency model, which predicts that impaired mental health is due to a higher level of incongruence reported at an earlier point in time. Emerging adults (N = 1,017) aged 18–24 completed computer-assisted telephone interviews in 2003 (T1), 2005 (T2), and 2008 (T3). The results indicate that better mental health at T1 predicts a lower level of incongruence two years later (T2), when prior level of incongruence is controlled for. The same cross-lagged effect is shown for T3. However, the cross-lagged paths from incongruence to mental health are marginally associated when prior mental health is controlled for. No gender differences were found in the cross-lagged model. The results support the mental health model and show that incongruence does not have a long-lasting negative effect on mental health. The results highlight the importance of identifying emerging adults with poor mental health early to provide support regarding need satisfaction.

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Contribution of Demographics, Sociological Factors, and Media Usage to Verbal Aggressiveness

Journal of Media Psychology Theories Methods and Applications ◽

10.1027/1864-1105/a000115 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 92-102 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jack Glascock

Keyword(s):

Emerging Adults ◽

Peer Influence ◽

Video Game ◽

Rap Music ◽

Verbal Aggression ◽

Hierarchical Regression ◽

Music Listening ◽

Verbal Aggressiveness ◽

Media Usage ◽

Sociological Factors

Given the increasing relevance of verbal aggression in today’s society, the goal of this study was to assess the relative contributions of potential demographic and sociological factors. Emerging adults were surveyed, and the data were analyzed using correlations and hierarchical regression. While television viewing, video game playing, and music listening were positively correlated with verbal aggression, only (rap) music listening remained significant when demographic and other sociological influences were factored in. Overall, the hierarchical regression analysis found religiosity, parental and peer influence, quality of neighborhood, sex, and media usage (listening to rap music) to be significant contributors to verbal aggression among emerging adults. Male participants reported more verbally aggressive behavior than women, and African Americans reported more verbal aggression than White respondents. While media usage seems to play a significant, but relatively small role, other demographic and sociological factors such as gender, neighborhood, religion, peers, and parents appear to be major contributors in the development of verbal aggression among emerging adults.

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