MARRIED AND RECENTLY DIVORCED MOTHERS STRESSFUL EVENTS AND DISTRESS -TRACING CHANGE ACROSS TIME

We examined the relationship between divorce and psychological distres s in adult women by combining data from two studies, one of divorced m others with adolescent children (n = 188) and another of married mothe rs (n = 306). The data were modeled using latent growth curves to char t change over time. Change in depressive symptoms paralleled changes i n stressful events. For divorced mothers, stressful events and depress ive symptoms increased significantly soon after the divorce and then d iminished over the next 3 years, although not to the same levels repor ted by married women. The data were consistent with a proposed model t hat incorporated aspects of both the social causation and the selectio n perspectives.