Research that focuses on the long-term effects of divorce indicates a lower sense of well-being and overall quality of life as well as relationship problems for those who experience the divorce of their parents as children. Many researchers have shown that parental divorce affects children long after they are grown and involved in intimate relationships of their own. This article provides a review of research specific to the effects of parental divorce on adults in terms of relationship issues. Specific purposes of this review are to (a) explore research specific to intimacy and marital attitudes in adult children of divorce, (b) inform couple and family counselors of the complex and pervasive effects of parental divorce, and (c) relay implications for effective treatment and future research.
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