The effects of divorce on children

Synopsis

There is a need for a conceptual framework around which to organise the findings from the growing body of research into the consequences for parents and children of marital breakdown. This paper offers a conceptual model for describing the two processes, dismantling and restructuring, by which the family proceeds through family breakdown to the establishment of a new family form. This involves family structural changes and emotional management tasks for the children. The model provides a terminology and a framework which orders current research findings and accounts for variability between families in divorce resolution.