The effects of marital discord and dissolution on adult offspring's romantic relationships

M Elizabeth W.

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The effects of marital discord and dissolution on adult offspring's romantic relationships

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Abstract

Current psychological research suggests divorce is transmitted from generation to generation, although causation of this transmission has yet to be proven. This paper applies existing research on the intergenerational transmission of divorce and its effect on adolescent and adult romantic relationships to three hypotheses attempting to explain why offspring of divorced couples have more dysfunctional romantic relationships and are more likely to divorce than children of intact families. Each hypothesis is based on one of three theories of learning: behaviorist, social learning, and psychosocial. With no single theory explaining all the facets of this multi-dimensional problem, the research suggests that it is likely a combination of factors relating to all three theories resulting in the transmission of divorce between generations

Abstract.
Olson and DeFrain (2006) belief in multiple reasons for the high divorce rate in the United States.
Divorce - disruption of families.
Review of literature regarding divorce and children.
1. The findings of Darlington's study.
Clinical modality for intergenerational transmission of divorce.
Conclusion and future implications.

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[...] Why we love: The nature and chemistry of romantic love. New York: Owl Books. Olsen, D. H. & DeFrain, J. (2006). Marriage & families: Intimacy, diversity and strengths (5th Ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill. Riggio, H. R. (2004). Parental marital conflict and divorce, parent-child relationships, social support, and relationship anxiety in young adulthood. Personal Relationships 99-114. Shulman, S.; Scharf, M.; Lumer, D.; & Maurer, O. (2001). Parental divorce and young adult children's romantic relationships: Resolution of the divorce [...]

[...] Programs requiring divorcing parents with minor children to attend a half-day parent education seminar must be expanded to teach strategies for helping children and adolescents residing in the home, regardless of the child's age, to process the parental divorce and develop positive relationships with parents to reduce the effects of the divorce. By doing so, the risk of divorce is reduced for future generations. References Amato, P. R. (1996). Explaining the intergenerational transmission of divorce. Journal of Marriage and the Family 628-640. [...]

[...] The effects of divorce and marital discord on adult children's psychological well-being. American Sociological Review 900-921. Bandura, A. J. (1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Pretence Hall. Cartwright, C. (2006). You want to know how it affected me: Young adults' perceptions of the impact of parental divorce. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage 125-143. Darlington, Y. (2001). When all is said and done: The impact of parental divorce and contested custody in childhood on young adults' relationships with their parents and their attitudes to relationships and marriage. [...]

[...] Review of Literature Regarding Divorce and Children In 1980, Amato & Booth (1997) began The Study of Marriage Over the Life Course, a seventeen year longitudinal study tracking the outcomes of marital discord and dissolution, from which many subsequent studies on divorce and its effect on children would rely. They found that the two most detrimental family types for fostering good personal and romantic relationships in children are low-conflict marriages that end in divorce and high conflict marriages where the parents' acrimonious relations are not alleviated by marital dissolution. [...]

[...] Amato and Sobolewski (2001) found the effects of relationship formation on offspring is not specific to the dissolution of marriage but encompasses the dissolution of any couple a child identifies as a parental unit. Even after leaving home, the conflict and discord of an individual's family of origin continues to effect offspring (Riggio, 2004). Concerned about the effects of marital dissolution on their own future offspring, children of divorce tend to be focused on avoiding divorce (Darlington, 2001). Darlington interviewed young adults who resided with their parents during a divorce, and found participants from high conflict homes felt their parents' divorce was educational experience and helped them focus on delaying marriage to work on building a strong relationship foundation, reaffirming Amato & Booth's (1997) findings. [...]

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