Feeling Caught between Parents: Adult Children's Relations with Parents and Subjective Well-Being.

Research on divorce has found that adolescents' feelings of being caught between parents are linked to internalizing problems and weak parent-child relationships. The present study estimates the effects of marital discord, as well as divorce, on young adult offspring's feelings of being caught in the middle (N = 632). Children with parents in high-conflict marriages were more likely than other children to feel caught between parents. These feelings were associated with lower subjective well-being and poorer quality parent-child relationships. Offspring with divorced parents were no more likely than offspring with continuously married parents in low-conflict relationships to report feeling caught. Feelings of being caught appeared to fade in the decade following parental divorce. These results suggest that, unlike children of divorce, children with parents in conflicted marriages (who do not divorce) may be unable to escape from their parents' marital problems-even into adulthood. Key Words: marital conflict, parental divorce, parent-child relationships, subjective well-being. Research on divorce suggests that conflict between parents-both prior to and following marital dissolution-increases the risk of a variety of emotional and behavioral problems among children (Ayoub, Deutsch, & Maraganore, 1999; Cummings & Davies, 1994; Emery, 1999). The degree to which children feel caught between hostile parents appears to be part of this process. When parents involve their children in ongoing marital disputes, put pressure on their children to take sides, or compete for their children's affection, children are likely to experience distress (Buchanan, Maccoby, & Dornbush, 1991, 1996; Johnston & Campbell, 1987; Minuchin, 1974). Children often describe these aversive feelings as being torn in two or caught in the middle (Afifi, 2003; Buchanan et al., 1991). Because most children want to be close to both parents, they often attempt to mediate their parents' disputes. Yet, children also fear that their interventions will be interpreted as acts of disloyalty by one or both parents. Because being drawn into interparental disputes is aversive, feeling caught between hostile parents is a risk factor for child adjustment problems. Most prior studies have concentrated on adolescents' feelings of being caught between parents. Although rarely studied, children may continue to feel this way after they leave the parental home and make the transition to adulthood. For example, young adult offspring from divorced families may experience loyalty conflicts when they choose to spend weekends, holidays, or other special occasions with one parent rather than the other. Parents also may disclose new information about the circumstances of the divorce, as well as continuing problems with the former spouse, as children grow into adulthood (Afifi & Schrodt, 2004). Our investigation extends prior research in two ways. First, we examine the extent to which young adult children (rather than adolescents) feel caught between hostile parents. Second, we consider whether these feelings mediate the links between parental divorce, children's emotional bonds with parents, and children's subjective well-being. Third, we include children with discordant but continuously married parents, as well as children with divorced parents, in the analysis. MARITAL DISCORD, DIVORCE, AND FEELING CAUGHT BETWEEN PARENTS Children vary considerably in their responses to marital disruption, with some children adjusting well and others experiencing long-term problems (Amato & Keith, 1991; Hetherington, 1999). Children's long-term adjustment depends upon a host of complex factors, including interpersonal behavior patterns that develop within postdivorce families. Feeling caught between parents may help to explain why some children function better than others do following divorce (Buchanan et al., 1991, 1996; Hetherington; Maccoby, Depner, & Mnookin, 1990). …