Judith S. Wallerstein et al: The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce: The 25 Year Landmark Study (2000)

(Source1, Source2)

Quotes

  • “From the viewpoint of the children, and counter to what happens to their parents, divorce is a cumulative experience. Its impact increases over time and rises to a crescendo in adulthood. At each developmental stage divorce is experienced anew in different ways. In adulthood it affects personality, the ability to trust, expectations about relationships, and ability to cope with change.” (p. 298)

Longitudinal study

  • 131 children from 60 families who were going through divorce in the early 1970s
  • participants came from diverse backgrounds, including varied socioeconomic statuses
  • periodic in-depth interviews to track their progress and setbacks for 25 years

Core research findings

  • effects of divorce on children are not confined to the immediate aftermath but extend far into their adult lives
  • children of divorce often carry feelings of anxiety, trust issues, and concerns about their own relationships well into adulthood
  • children faced challenges that their peers from intact families did not, such as moving homes, adjusting to new schools, and managing relationships with parents who might be distracted by their own personal struggles
  • young children, who may not fully comprehend the reasons for their parents’ separation, often blame themselves
  • post-divorce parental conduct is important
  • custody arrangements pivotal in child’s adjustment
  • divorce is a ripple effect that influences a child throughout their lifetime
  • maintaining strong, supportive connections with both parents help children’s emotional well-being

What we can and cannot do

  • cannot turn back time
  • need to strengthen marriage
  • 80 percent of divorces in America occur within the first nine years of marriage
  • teen intervention programs (e.g. “how do you choose a friend?”)
  • encourage children of divorce to delay marriage until they better understand themselves
  • divorce can be worse for children than marriage with conflicts (not in all cases)
  • educate parents on realistic view on post-divorce parenting

Table of contents

  • PART ONE / PARALLEL UNIVERSES: KAREN AND GARY
    • ONE When a Child Becomes the Caregiver
    • TWO Sunlit Memories
    • THREE Growing Up Is Harder
    • FOUR What If They’d Stayed Together— and What If They Can’t?
    • FIVE When There’s No One to Set an Example
    • SIX Setting an Example
  • PART TWO / THE LEGACY OF DIVORCE: LARRY AND CAROL
    • SEVEN The Wages of Violence
    • EIGHT Our Failure to Intervene
    • NINE Order Out of Chaos
    • TEN Family Ties
    • ELEVEN Undoing the Past
  • PART THREE / THE PARENTLESS CHILD: PAULA
    • TWELVE Growing Up Lonely
    • THIRTEEN Court-Ordered Visiting, the Child’s View
    • FOURTEEN Sex and Drugs
    • FIFTEEN Evolving Relationships
    • SIXTEEN The Custody Saga Continues
  • PART FOUR / THE VULNERABLE CHILD: BILLY
    • SEVENTEEN The Vulnerable Child
    • EIGHTEEN The Stepfamily
    • NINETEEN Picking Up the Pieces, One by One
  • PART FIVE / MY BEST CASE: LISA
    • TWENTY Is Not Fighting Enough?
    • TWENTY-ONE Children of Divorce
    • TWENTY-TWO Conclusions