This article describes a study that examined the competence and self-esteem of 136 Australian single-parent primary school-aged children growing up in different single-parent residency arrangements. It compared these children with a matched sample of two-parent children. Child competence was assessed across a range of domains (academic, physical, social, behavioural and everyday life skills). The analysis revealed that overall, the single-parent children were not significantly different from the two-parent children in competence levels and self-esteem. There were, however, subtle differences in performance on the measures between and within each parent residency group linked to the gender of the child and the gender of the residential parent.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Amato, P. (1987) Children in Australian Families: The Growth of Competence. Melbourne: Prentice-Hall .
2.
Amato, P. and G. Ochiltree (1986) `Children Becoming Independent: An Investigation of Children's Knowledge and Performance of Everyday Life Skills' , Australian Journal of Psychology38(1): 59-68 .
3.
Blechman, E.A. (1982) `Are Children with One Parent at Psychological Risk?' , Journal of Marriage and the Family February: 179-195 .
4.
Camara, K.A. and G. Resnick (1989) `Styles of Conflict Resolution and Cooperation between Divorced Parents: Effects on Child Behaviour and Adjustment' , American Journal of Orthopsychiatry59(4): 560-575 .
5.
Clarke-Stewart, K.A. and C. Hayward (1996) `Advantages of Father Custody and Contact for the Psychological Well Being of School Aged Children' , Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology17: 239-270 .
6.
Connolly, K.J. and J.S. Bruner (eds) (1974) The Growth of Competence, Developmental Sciences Series. New York: Academic Press .
7.
Cooley, C.H. (1902) Human Nature and the Social Order. New York: Charles Schribner's Sons .
8.
Edgar, D. (1980) Introduction to Australian Society: A Sociological Perspective. Sydney: Prentice-Hall .
9.
Emery, R. (1999) Marriage, Divorce and Children's Adjustment. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage .
10.
Ford, M.E. (1985) `The Concept of Competence: Themes and Variations', in H.A. Marlowe and R.B. Weinberg (eds) Competence Development, pp. 3-49. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas .
11.
Funder, K. (1996) Citizen Child: Australian Law and Children's Rights. Melbourne: The Australian Institute for Family Studies .
12.
Gatley, D. and A.I. Schwebel (1991) `The Challenge Model of Children's Adjustment to Parental Divorce: Explaining Favourable Post Divorce Outcomes in Children' , Journal of Family Psychology5(1): 60-81 .
13.
Grych, J. and F. Fincham (2000) Inter-Parental Conflict and Child Development. New York: Cambridge University Press .
14.
Guidibaldi, J., J.D. Perry, H.K. Cleminshaw and C.S. McLoughlin (1983) `The Impact Of Parental Divorce on Children: Report of the Nationwide NASP Study' , School Psychology Review12(3): 300-323 .
15.
Guttman, J., N. Geva and S. Gefen (1988) `Teachers' and School Children's Stereotypic Perception of “The Child of Divorce” ' , American Educational Research Journal25(4): 555-571 .
16.
Hammond, J. (1979) `Children of Divorce: A Study of Self Concept, Academic Achievement and Attitudes' , The Elementary School Journal80(2): 55-62 .
17.
Harter, S. (1978) `Effectance Motivation Reconsidered' , Human Development21: 34-64 .
18.
Harter, S. (1983) `Developmental Perspectives on the Self System', in E.M. Hetherington (ed.) Handbook of Child Psychology: Vol. 4. Social and Personality Development, pp. 275-385. New York: John Wiley .
19.
Harter, S. (1985a) Manual for the Self Perception Profile for Children. Denver, CO: University of Denver .
20.
Harter, S. (1985b) Manual for the Social Support Scale for Children. Denver, CO: University of Denver .
21.
Harter, S. (1986) `Processes Underlying the Construction, Maintenance and Enhancement of the Self Concept in Children', in J. Suls and A. Greenwald (eds) Psychological Perspectives of the Self, Vol. 3, pp. 138-179. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum .
22.
Harter, S. (1987) `The Determinants and Mediational Role of Global Self Worth in Children', in N. Eisenberg (ed.) Contemporary Issues in Developmental Psychology, pp. 219-242. New York: John Wiley .
23.
Harter, S. (1988) `Developmental Processes in the Construction of Self', in T.D. Yawkey and J.E. Johnstone (eds) Integrative Processes and Socialisation: Early To Middle Childhood, pp. 45-79. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum .
24.
Harter, S. (1989) `Processes Underlying Adolescent Self Concept Formation', in R. Montmayer (ed.) Advances in Adolescent Development, Volume 2: The Transitions from Childhood to Adolescence, pp. 205-239. London: Sage .
25.
Harter, S. (1990) `Causes Correlates and the Functional Role of Global Self Worth: A Lifespan Perspective', in J. Kolligian and R. Sternberg (eds) Perceptions of Competence and Incompetence across the Life-Span, pp. 67-100. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press .
26.
Harter, S. (1998) `The Development of Self Representations', in N. Eisenberg (ed.) Handbook of Child Psychology: Vol. 3. Social, Emotional and Personality Development, pp. 55-617. New York: John Wiley .
27.
Harter, S. (1999) The Construction of the Self: A Developmental Perspective. New York: Guilford Press .
28.
Howell, S., P. Portes and J. Brown (1997) `Gender and Age Differences in Child Adjustment to Parental Separation' , Journal of Divorce and Remarraige27(3/4): 141-158 .
29.
Hughes, J. M., P.A. Mitchell and W.S. Ranson (eds) (1993) The Australian Concise Oxford Dictionary. Melbourne: Oxford University Press .
30.
James, W. (1890) Principles of Psychology. Chicago, IL: Encyclopaedia Britannica .
31.
Jastak, S and G. Wilkinson (1984) WRAT-R Administration Manual. Delaware: Jastak Associates Inc.
32.
Johnson, J. (1997) `What Mediators Need to Know about Children of Conflicted and Violent Families' , paper presented at `Family Mediation-Beyond Divorce', 14th Annual Conference of the American Academy of Family Mediators, Cape Cod, MA.
33.
Johnson, M.K. and R.L. Hutchinson (1989) `Effects of Family Structure on Children's Self Concepts', in C. Everett (ed.) Children of Divorce. New York: The Hawthorn Press .
34.
Kelly, J.B. (2000) `Children's Adjustment in Conflicted Marriage and Divorce: A Decade Review of Research' , Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry39: 963-983 .
35.
Lamb, M.E., K.J. Sternberg and R.A. Thompson (1997) `The Effects of Divorce and Custody Arrangements on Children's Behaviour Development and Adjustment' , Family and Conciliation Courts Review35: 4393-4404 .
36.
Lengua, L.J., S.A. Wolchik and S.L. Braver (1995) `Understanding Children's Divorce Adjustment from an Ecological Perspective' , Journal of Divorce and Remarraige22(3/4): 25-53 .
37.
McLanahan, S.S. (1999) `Father Absence and the Welfare of Children', in E.M. Hetherington (ed.) Coping with Divorce, Single Parenting and Remarriage: A Risk and Resiliency Perspective, pp. 117-145. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum .
38.
Nelson, G. (1982) `Families Coping with the Loss of Father by Death or Divorce' , Journal of Family Issues3: 41-60 .
39.
Nelson, G. (1993) `Risk, Resilience and Self Esteem: A Longitudinal Study of Elementary School-Aged Children from Mother Custody and Two Parent Families' , Journal of Divorce and Remarriage19(1/2): 99-119 .
40.
Parish, T.S. and J.W. Dostal (1980) `Evaluations of Self and Parent Figures by Children from Intact, Divorced and Reconstituted Families' , Journal of Youth and Adolescence9: 347-351 .
41.
Pike, L.T. (1990) `Parental Separation and Divorce: Does it Affect the Academic Achievement of Young Primary School Aged Children?' , The Australian Educational and Developmental Psychologist7(2): 4-8 .
42.
Pryor, J. and B. Rodgers (2001) Children in Changing Families: Life after Parental Separation. Oxford: Blackwell .
43.
Raschke, H.J. and V.J. Raschke (1979) `Family Contact and Children's Self Concepts: A Comparison of Intact and Single Parent Families' , Journal of Marriage and the Family May: 367-374 .
44.
Smart, C., B. Neale and A. Wade (2001) The Changing Experience of Childhood: Families and Divorce. Cambridge: Polity Press .
45.
Smith, M.B. (1969) Social Psychology and Human Values. Chicago, IL: Aldine .
46.
Voza, J. (1984) A Comparison of Reading Scores of Children from One Parent and Two Parent Families. Union, NJ: Kean College .
47.
Wallerstein, J.S. (1991) `The Longterm Effects of Divorce on Children: A Review' , Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry30: 349-360 .
48.
Warshak, R.A. (1986) `Father Custody and Child Development: A Review and Analysis of Psychological Research' , Behavioural Sciences and the Law4(2): 185-202 .
49.
Weiss, R.S. (1979) `Growing up a Little Faster: The Experience of Growing up in a Single Parent Household' , Journal of Social Issues35: 97-111 .
50.
White, R. (1959) `Motivation Reconsidered: The Concept of Competence' , Psychological Review66: 297-333 .
51.
Zakariya, S.B. (1982) `Another Look at the Children of Divorce: Summary Report of the Study of School Needs of One Parent Children' , Principal62(September): 34-37 .
52.
Zaslow, M.J. (1988) `Sex Differences in Children's Response to Parental Divorce: 1. Research Methodology and Post Divorce Family Forms' , American Journal of Orthopsychiatry58: 375-378 .
53.
Zaslow, M.J. (1989) `Sex Differences in Children's Response to Parental Divorce: 2. Samples, Variables, Ages, and Sources' , American Journal of Orthopsychiatry59: 118-141 .
