Differences in ratings of 9- to 14 years old sons of divorced and non-divorced parents

Twentyeight 9- to 14 years old boys from divorced families were compared wi th twenty-six 9- to 14 years old boys from two-parent families. Californian Child Q-Sort assessments (Block and Block 1980) were obtained from themsel ves, as well as from mother, father, a friend, and from the trained intervi ewer. Boys with divorced parents indicated more stress without showing it t o others. They longed for appreciation from the others, showed lower self-e steem and more helplessness, but not more dissocial behavior. Supportive re presentation of their mother correlated positively with ego-resiliency and self-esteem, and negatively with helplessness, while others did not seem to notice the boys' helplessness. They indicated less dissocial and more soci al behavior, they were more sensitive and had better relations with other c hildren. Supportive representation of fathers was beneficial only for the c ontrol group. The data correspond to differences in quality of narrative la nguage published previously They are discussed from an attachment theory pe rspective.