Parental separation and child adjustment : longitudinal perspective and risk factors

Despite the large body of research supporting the idea that children who experience their parents’ separation encounter more emotional and behavioral difficulties than children who grow up in continuously intact homes, several questions remained to be investigated. Specifically, empirical evidence does not lead to clear conclusions regarding the time of onset of the adjustment difficulties experienced by children whose parents separate. Furthermore, it is not clear whether it is the separation per se that leads to these difficulties, or whether other factors can explain this association. The present thesis is made up of two empirical articles. The first examines the role of gender and age at the time of separation in children’s pre- and post-separation adjustment. The second article aims to disentangle the role of parental and contextual factors, and that of parental separation, in predicting child adjustment. Participants were from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD, 1998-2006). At every wave of the QLSCD, a structured interview with the mother allowed to assess children’s levels of hyperactivity/ impulsivity, anxiety, and physical aggression. During this interview, mothers also answered questions regarding the quality of their parenting and their household income. Finally, a self-report questionnaire was administered to mothers in order to assess their own symptoms of depression and anxiety.  The first study included 143 children from separated families and 1705 children from intact families. Two categories of children were created according to whether separation occurred between ages 2 and 4, or between ages 4 and 6. Child adjustment variables were assessed at one time point prior to parental separation and at two time points following separation. The results of this first paper demonstrated that prior to separation, children of intact and separated families did not differ significantly with regards to their levels of hyperactivity/impulsivity and anxiety. However, children whose parents separated had significantly higher hyperactivity/impulsivity and anxiety levels after the occurrence of separation. Physical aggression was not further increased following parental separation, but was higher in children who experienced separation, irrespective of time. No gender or age differences were found in children’s pre- and post- separation adjustment. The second study included 358, 8 year-old children who had previously experienced parental separation, and 1065 children of the same age who lived in consistently intact homes since birth. After controlling for child gender, results demonstrated that once the contribution of maternal symptoms of depression and anxiety, parenting quality and household income was accounted for, parental separation was no longer associated with child anxiety and physical aggression. However, the relationship between separation and hyperactivity/impulsivity remained significant over and beyond what was contributed by the other variables. The results presented in the articles are discussed, and their implications are highlighted.

Keyphrases: Divorce, Parental separation, Divorce, Child Adjustment, Gender, Age, Risk factors, Maternal depression and anxiety, parenting, household income, Longitudinal study