Today, about 1 out of 2 marriages end in

divorce (US Census Bureau)

Parent-Child Relationships of Divorced

Families

Examine the relationship it has with

marital conflict

Examine the relationship it has with

residential status of the child

Fine, Moreland, and Schwebel (1983)› Intact vs. Divorced Families

Grych et al. (1992) › Marital Conflict – Children felt helpless

Frank (2007)› Mother vs. Fathers (Pre/Post Divorce)

Gasper et al. (2008)› Living arrangements – Custodial/Non

Donnelly and Finkelhor (1992(› Equal Custody

Students who experience high marital

conflict between their parents will have

a weaker parent-child relationship

quality than students with low marital

conflict.

Students will have a higher quality

relationship with the parent they live with

than the parent they don’t live with.

› 20 undergraduate Psych majors

90% White (18), 10% African American (2%)

85% Female (17), 15% Male (3)

Age

Range: 18-26 years

M= 20, SD: 1.927

75% Lived with Mother (15)

25% Lived with Father (5)

24 item survey

Example item:

› “How well does your mother/father

understand your feelings, needs or behaviors?”

7 point scale › (1: None at all, 7: A very great deal)

Scores range from 24-168

› Higher the score, higher quality of relationship

51item survey

Example item:

› “My parents are often mean to each other when

I’m around.”

3 point scale › (0: True, 1: Somewhat True, 3: False)

Scores range from 0 to 153

› Higher the score, higher perceived marital conflict

Experimetrix

Webb 110

Informed Consent

Demographic Survey

Parent-Child Relationship Survey (Fine, Moreland & Schwebel, 1983)

Children’s Perception of InterparentalConflict Scale

(Grych, Seid & Fincham, 1990)

Debriefing Form

Mother-Child Relationship (PCRS)› Lived with Mother

M=138.07 SD= 25.21

› Lived with Father

M=100 SD= 57.07

Father-Relationship (PCRS) › Lived with Father

M=123 SD= 46.51

› Lived with Mother

M=70 SD= 41.07

Mother-Child Relationship (PCRS)

› t(4.532) = 1.445, p=.214

› Statistically Non-Significant

Father-Child Relationship (PCRS)

› t(18) = -2.424, p < .05

› Statistically Significant

Perceived Marital Conflict Scores

› Range: 51-75

› M= 59.35, SD= 6.42

Mother-Child Relationship

› r=.240, p=.307

Father-Child Relationship

› r=.273, p=.245

Mother-Child Relationship Father-Child Relationship

There was a significant correlation

between residence and the father-child

relationship

Residence

Marital Conflict

Participants Varied

Mother to Father Residence ratio

Time of Divorce

Sample Size

Age at Time of Divorce

Visitation

Gender

Siblings

Future Relationships