Four Decades Bibliometric Analysis, Science Mapping, and Visualization of the Consequences of Marital Union Dissolution on Parents and Children

ABSTRACT

This study undertakes a bibliometric analysis, science mapping, and visualization of the consequences of marital union dissolution on the household members, including parents, children, and other relations. We also analyze the temporal trends of the scientific production and citation of authorsand sources, and institutions/countries’ collaborations using data from published documents indexed on SCOPUS within the last four decades. The paper highlights five outcomes. First, there is an upward trend in scientific production on divorce and the consequences, which mirrors the increasing divorce rate in different cultures and societies. Second, the clusters of terms identify various adverse effects of divorce on the household members, including a severe economic impact on women and children. Even the dissolution of bad marriage carries significant emotional and psychological pains on the household members. Third, parental divorce can constitute an adverse childhood experience with potentially long-term consequences in some cases where the offspring cannot recover from the emotional trauma. Fourth, divorce can cause health problems, including social, behavioral, psychological, and mental health problems to the parents and children, and economic challenges. Fifth, the results using network analysis show that the consequences of divorce are not linear but multi-directional. Finally, most research output originates from countries with a high divorce rate. The study reveals upward trends in the literature production, the divorce rate across all marriage groups and social status, and religious groups. The paper contributes to integrating scholarship in divorce consequences.

KEYWORDS:

• Marital union dissolution
• parental divorce consequences
• offspring adversities
• science mapping
• adverse childhood experience
• visualization

Acknowledgments

Dedicated to Blossom and Favour! We acknowledge the support of the team at the Children in Divorce Foundation, Canton OH, USA.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).