The postdivorce adjustment of 149 men and 149 women with joint or sole physical custody of their children was examined along two dimensions: parents' individual adjustment and their relationships with ex-spouses. A multivariate multiple regression analysis was employed to assess the relative impact of custody arrangements in the context of men's and women's pre- and postseparation psychological, social, and occupational functioning. Shared custody arrangements (whether joint or sole physical custody), and access of parents to their children had no significant relationship to parents' postdivorce adjustment or relationships with their ex-spouses. However, there was strong evidence for a marked continuity in parents' functioning before and after divorce; that is, prior levels of individual functioning were indicators of postdivorce adjustments and relationship to the ex-spouse. Also, it was estimated that the quality of relationship with a new partner had different effects on men's and women's postdivorce adjustment.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Ahrons, Constance.1981. “The Continuing Coparental Relationship Between Divorced Spouses.”American Journal of Orthopsychiatry51(July):415-527.
2.
Berman, William.1985. “Continued Attachment After Legal Divorce.”Journal of Family Issues6(September):375-392.
3.
Berman, William. and Dennis Turk.1981. “Adaptation to Divorce: Problems and Coping Strategies.”Journal of Marriage and the Family43(February):179-189.
4.
Bowman, Madonna and Constance Ahrons.1985. “Impact of Legal Custody Status on Fathers' Parenting Post-Divorce.”Journal of Marriage and the Family47(May):481-488.
5.
Crosbie-Burnett, Margaret. 1987. “Impact of Joint Versus Maternal Custody and Family Structure Complexity on Adolescents in Stepfamilies.” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, New York.
6.
Greif, Judith.1979. “Fathers, Children and Joint Custody.”American Journal of Orthopsychiatry49(April):311-319.
7.
Hetherington, E. Mavis , Martha Cox, and Roger Cox. 1977. “Beyond Father Absence: Conceptualization of Effects of Divorce.” In Contemporary Readings in Child Psychology, edited by E. M. Hetherington and R. D. Parke. New York: McGraw-Hill.
8.
Hetherington, E. Mavis , Martha Cox, and Roger Cox. 1979. “Family Interaction and the Social Emotional and Cognitive Development of Children Following Divorce.” Pp. 4-5 in The Family: Setting Priorities, edited by V. Vaughan and T. B. Brazelton. New York: Science & Medicine.
9.
Hetherington, E. Mavis , Martha Cox, and Roger Cox. 1982. “Effects of Divorce on Parents and Children.” In Nontraditional Families, edited by M. E. Lamb. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
10.
Hetherington, E. Mavis , Martha Cox, Roger Cox. and Margaret S. Hagan. 1988. “Divorced Fathers: Stress, Coping, and Adjustment.” In The Father's Role: Applied Perspectives, edited by M. E. Lamb. New York: John Wiley.
11.
Hollingshead, August B. 1975. Four Factor Index of Social Status. Unpublished manuscript.
12.
Hollingshead, August B. and Frederick C. Redlich. 1958. Social Class and Mental Illness: A Community Study. New York: John Wiley.
13.
Huntington, Dorothy S.1985. “Theory and Method: The Use of Psychological Tests in Research on Divorce.”Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry24(May):583-589.
14.
Jacobson, Doris.1978. “The Impact of Marital Separation/Divorce on Children: II. Interparental Hostility and Child Adjustment.”Journal of Divorce2(Fall):3-19.
15.
Johnston, Janet R. , Marsha Kline, and Jeanne M. Tschann. In press. Ongoing “Postdivorce Conflict in Families Contesting Custody: Do Joint Custody and Frequent Access Help?”American Journal of Orthopsychiatry.
16.
Keshet, Harry F. and K. M. Rosenthal.1978. “Fathers After Marital Separation.”Social Work23(January):11-18.
17.
Kline, Marsha , Jeanne M. Tschann, Janet R. Johnston, and Judith S. Wallerstein. In press. “Children's Adjustment in Joint and Sole Physical Custody Families.”Developmental Psychology.
18.
Luepnitz, Deborah A. 1982. Child Custody. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.
19.
Luepnitz, Deborah A.1986. “A Comparison of Maternal, Paternal, and Joint Custody: Understanding the Varieties of Post-Divorce Family Life.”Journal of Divorce9(Fall):169-183.
20.
McKinnon, Rosemary and Judith S. Wallertsein.1986. “Joint Custody and the Preschool Child.”Behavioral Sciences and the Law4(2):169-183.
21.
McKinnon, Rosemary and Judith S. Wallertsein. In press. “A Preventive Intervention Program for Parents and Young Children in Joint Custody Arrangements.”American Journal of Orthopsychiatry.
22.
Nelson, Riva. In press. “Post-Divorce Parental Hostility, Conflict, and Communication.”Journal of Divorce.
23.
Plummer, Leone P. and Alberta Koch-Hattem.1986. “Family Stress and Adjustment to Divorce.”Family Relations35(October):523-529.
24.
Raschke, Helen J.1977. “The Role of Social Participation in Postseparation and Postdivorce Adjustment.”Journal of Divorce1(2):129-140.
25.
SAS Institute. 1985. SAS User's Guide: Statistics (Version 5 edition). Cary, NC: SAS Institute.
26.
Spanier, Graham B. and Robert F. Casto.1979. “Adjustment to Separation and Divorce: An Analysis of 50 Case Studies.”Journal of Divorce2(3):241-253.
27.
Steinman, Susan.1981. “The Experience of Children in a Joint Custody Arrangement: A Report of a Study.”American Journal of Orthopsychiatry51(July):403-414.
28.
Steinman, Susan.Steven Zemmelman , and Thomas Knoblach.1985. “A Study of Parents Who Sought Joint Custody Following Divorce: Who Reaches Agreement and Sustains Joint Custody and Who Returns to Court?”Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry24(September):554-563.
29.
Stewart, James R. , Andrew I. Schwebel, and Mark A. Fine.1986. “The Impact of Custodial Arrangement on the Adjustment of Recently Divorced Fathers.”Journal of Divorce9(3):55-65.
30.
Wallerstein, Judith S. and Sandra Blakeslee. In press. Second Chances: Men, Women and Children Ten Years After Divorce. New York: Ticknor & Fields.
