THE EFFECTS OF DIVORCE ON INTERGENERATIONAL EXCHANGES IN FAMILIES

Data from the 1992 NESTOR survey 'Living Arrangements and Social Netwo rks of Older Adults' were used to examine the effects of divorce on in tergenerational exchanges in families. The incidence of divorce in the older (elderly parents) and younger generation (adult children) was t aken into consideration. The results indicate that divorced older adul ts are less likely to have supportive exchanges with their adult child ren than non-divorced ones. The reduction in interaction is stronger a mong divorced fathers than divorced mothers. Parental divorce disrupts parent-child relationships, but this is not the case with younger gen eration divorce. Younger generation divorce strengthens rather than we akens parent-child ties. The intensity of intergenerational exchanges is highest in families where the parents' marriage remains intact but one or more of their children divorce. However, there also appear to b e cumulative effects of parental and child divorce. The likelihood tha t parents and children will become estranged is greatest in families w here members of both generations go through a divorce. The article end s with a discussion of the implications of the results for families of the future.