Three Research Traditions in the Study of Adolescents in Divorced Families: Quasi-Experimental, Developmental; Clinical; and Family Sociological

Abstract

A selective and critical review of research focused on adolescents in divorced families is provided. Three traditions of research on adolescents in divorced families are portrayed-family sociological, clinical, and quasi-experimental, developmental. These traditions are evaluated on seven research criteria, examples of each tradition are presented, and suggestions are made for improving the quality of research in each of the traditions. A call is made for multi-method studies in the developmental tradition that focus on a fine-grained analysis of post-divorce family functioning over time.