Long-term effects of divorce on parent-child relationships: within-family comparisons of fathers and mothers

TY - JOUR

T1 - Long-term effects of divorce on parent-child relationships: within-family comparisons of fathers and mothers

AU - Kalmijn, M.

N1 - Reporting year: 2013

PY - 2013

Y1 - 2013

N2 - Using national representative survey data from the Netherlands, this article examines the effects of a parental divorce in childhood on relationships between adult children and their parents. Using a within-family design, we make comparisons between fathers and mothers within the same family. Our approach in part not only replicates earlier findings but it also provides new insights. A divorce not only is most often associated with a deterioration of the relationship with the father but it also occurs that only the relationship with the mother is negatively affected by a divorce. In general, a divorce increases inequality between the relationships that children have with their father and mother. We interpret these effects in terms of compensation between parents on the one hand and lingering feelings of conflicting loyalties among children on the other hand.

AB - Using national representative survey data from the Netherlands, this article examines the effects of a parental divorce in childhood on relationships between adult children and their parents. Using a within-family design, we make comparisons between fathers and mothers within the same family. Our approach in part not only replicates earlier findings but it also provides new insights. A divorce not only is most often associated with a deterioration of the relationship with the father but it also occurs that only the relationship with the mother is negatively affected by a divorce. In general, a divorce increases inequality between the relationships that children have with their father and mother. We interpret these effects in terms of compensation between parents on the one hand and lingering feelings of conflicting loyalties among children on the other hand.

KW - SSCI

U2 - 10.1093/esr/jcs066

DO - 10.1093/esr/jcs066

M3 - Article

SN - 0266-7215

VL - 29

SP - 888

EP - 898

JO - European Sociological Review

JF - European Sociological Review

IS - 5

ER -