Social Support and the Adjustment of Children in Divorced and Remarried Families

Abstract

This article draws together some of the key findings to emerge from research - in particular, from three longitudinal studies that the author was involved in - on children's and adult's adjustment to divorce, the risks children encounter after divorce, and the social factors that protect them or make them more vulnerable to adversity. Through collating this evidence, the article suggests that it is the diversity, not the inevitability of any one pattern of adjustment following divorce and remarriage that is striking. Although, on the average, children and adults in divorced and remarried families may confront more stresses and show more problems in family relations and personal adjustment than those in non-divorced families, the vast majority are resilient and able to cope with, or even benefit from, their new life situation.