Early Divorce Leaves Permanent Mark on Parent-Child Relationship

Children of parents who divorce early are likely to have a poor relationship with them, according to a study

The study conducted by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign says that the relationship between children and their parents could have serious effects during and after childhood.

For the research, the team examined two online surveys and concluded that these children viewed their relationship with their parents as unreliable. People whose parents were divorced by their fifth birthdays said they were more insecure about their bonding with parents than children whose parents divorced after childhood.

 "A person who has a secure relationship with a parent is more likely than someone who is insecure to feel that they can trust the parent. Such a person is more comfortable depending on the parent and is confident that the parent will be psychologically available when needed," said the lead researcher, Dr Chris Fraley.

The survey also found that more than 70 percent of participants said they stayed with their mothers after divorce and maintained a distance from their fathers. In order to understand why children bonded well with their mother than father after divorce, the researchers conducted another test on 7,500 new participants. They asked them which of their parents were awarded their custody after the divorce.  Around 74 percent of respondents said they lived with their mothers after divorce or separation and only 11 percent stayed with their fathers. Rest of the lot lived their grandparents or guardians.

The research team also found that the people who witnessed divorce in childhood were also insecure over their love affairs. Dr Fraley said that the children's bonding with parents has an important effect on their romantic relationships in their adulthood. "This research brings us one step closer to understanding why it is that some people have relatively secure relationships with close others whereas others have more difficulty opening up to and depending on important people in their lives," he said.