The Kids Are Alright (at Least, Most of Them): Links Between Divorce and Dissolution and Child Well-Being

Abstract

Prompted in part by significant increases in the divorce rate in the 1960s and 1970s (and high but generally stable divorce rates since then), researchers across several disciplines have been energetic in examining the antecedents, correlates, and consequences of divorce. Amato’s (2000) review documented that more than 9,200 studies examining divorce were published in the 1990s alone. The importance of conducting research that identifies consequences of divorce for children and adolescents is amplified by societal concerns for the well-being of children and by social policies and public expenditures intended to benefit children’s health and well-being. To the degree that researchers are able to document the nature, magnitude, and sources of effects on children attributable to parental divorce, prevention and intervention programs can be designed to ameliorate child well-being.