• 07
  • July
    2010

According to a recent study by researchers at Montclair State University, children of divorce may actually fare better in their adult relationships than children whose parents stay together but fight constantly.

"The basic implication is, 'Don't stay together for the sake of the children if you're in a high conflict marriage,'" said Constance Gager, a study coordinator.

Previous studies indicated that the children of divorce are that much more likely to get divorced as adults. However, these somewhat vague studies did not make it entirely clear whether it was the parental conflict leading to the divorce or the divorce itself that had the most significant affect on the children.

The results of the Montclair State study would seem to challenge this long held assertion.

Montclair State researchers arrived at their conclusion by re-examining the results of a nationwide survey conducted in the years 1987 through 2002.

In the first phase (1987), the original researchers conducted extensive interviews with parents and covered a variety of topics, including their disagreements over household chores, finances, children and other potentially contentious topics.

In the second phase (1992-1993), the original researchers re-interviewed the same parents and also spoke with their children (ages 10 and up). Some of the topics included revisiting conflict, specifically whether the couples had divorced since the last interview and, if so, the reasons.

In the third and final phase (2001-2002), the original researchers re-interviewed the children (now adults) from the second phase. Much like the initial phase, participants were asked about the state of their marriages and the prevalence of divorce was examined.

The Montclair State researchers subsequently re-analyzed the results of this survey and determined that children whose parents fought but eventually divorced were much less likely to experience marital strife in their own relationships.

The reason?

"If [children are] constantly exposed to conflict, and the parents stay together, that means there's many more years they're exposed to conflicts by their parents. Whereas if their parents get divorced, at least there's a chance the parents will have less conflict after the divorce," said Gager.

The Montclair study found that while a divorce will certainly affect children, its affect is generally temporary and children are able to recover after a relatively short period of crisis.

Related Resources:
  
• Divorce Not Always Bad for Kids (Fox News)