A PROSPECTIVE-STUDY OF DIVORCE AND PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS

This study used national longitudinal data to examine parent-child rel ationships before and after parental divorce. Parents' reports of prob lems in their relationships with children were significantly elevated as early as 8 to 12 years prior to divorce. Low quality in the parents ' marriage largely accounted for these associations. Early problems in the parent-child relationship and low quality in the parents' marriag e when children were 10 years old (on average) predicted low parental affection for children when they were 18 years old (on average). Divor ce further eroded affection between fathers and children, but not betw een mothers and children. These findings suggest that the quality of t he parents' marriage has both direct and indirect long-term consequenc es for parent-child affection.