Parental Divorce and Union Disruption Among Young Adults in Sweden

Abstract

This article analyzes the impact of parental divorce on the disruption of marital and nonmarital unions among young adults in Sweden, using longitudinal data from repeated mail questionnaire surveys (1999 and 2003) with 1,321 respondents (aged 26, 30, and 34 in 2003). The study takes into account several possible mechanisms governing the parent—offspring union dissolution link, including indicators on life course and socioeconomic conditions, attitudes toward divorce, union commitment, and interpersonal behavior. Findings reveal that respondents with divorced parents exhibit an increased risk for their own union disruption of almost 40%. When controls for all mechanisms are added, the excess risk ceases to be statistically significant. The unique contribution of each mechanism, however, is limited. Rather, the mechanisms seem to operate jointly.