Abstract

A great deal of the existing literature on parental divorce focuses on the negative influences it has on children and young adults in regards to such areas as their relationships (romantic and familial) and their academic standing. The implications of such research are that parental divorce will always bring harm to families and, consequentially, should be avoided for the sake of the children's wellbeing. What is often missing from this research is a focus on the potential positive outcomes of parental divorce. The intent of this thesis is to explore the effects of parental divorce on young adults' ability to form and maintain romantic relationships, focusing on the positive outcomes of parental divorce on young adults and seeking to answer the question of whether or not young adults can actually benefit from their parents' divorce. By surveying a sample of 233 students from divorced and intact families from a large university on their experiences with parental divorce and/or romantic relationships, in conjunction with face to face interviews, the current study provides a deeper insight into the social factors that help define divorce as positive and explores the effects of family structure, gender of child, economic situation, and pre-existing parental conflict on young adults of divorced parents. Findings suggest that these young adults do experience positive outcomes after the divorce and that these outcomes are dependent on a variety of familial and social factors that shape the divorce experience.

Notes

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Thesis Completion

2014

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Grauerholz, Elizabeth

Degree

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Sociology

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Sciences; Sciences -- Dissertations, Academic

Format

PDF

Identifier

CFH0004550

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Document Type

Honors in the Major Thesis

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Sociology Commons

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