The Impacts Transmitted by Marital Instability across Generations
Abstract
Divorce has become a usual phenomena in our societies today, with cases of divorce rising year in year out. It is clear to many that divorce has negative impact to the children’s as it affects their growth and development process. What is not clear to many is that, divorce also affects the children attitudes and value towards the marriage institution. This study aimed at investigating the impact of parents divorce to children marriage stability. A survey was conducted on university students, involving a sample of 100 students and data collecting through semi-structure interview. Data was analyzed by the use of non-parametric descriptive statistic measures. The study came to the conclusion that children who go through Parents divorce process have a higher chance of developing negative attitude toward marriage and end up in divorce.
What are the Impacts Transmitted by Marital Instability across Generations?
Introduction
The institution of marriage seems to be growing weaker as society advances and time passes by. In the past, marital relationships were cherished and couples worked tireless to strengthen their marital bonds (Damian, 2010). Unfortunately, this is not the case today. Many people are not willing to work to make their marriages work and divorce cases are filed even for the smallest marital problems. Today, many marriages in the US end in separation and ultimately in divorce. This trend has become so common that even as a couple decides to get married, they do so with a mutual thought in mind that the union may at some point come apart and not comply with the “till death do us part” promise that was stated in their vows.
According to statistics by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (2002), 20% of first time marriages in the US are Likely to end in divorce in the first 5 years with the rate becoming even higher for subsequent marriage relationships. It has been hypothesized that divorces not only affect the relational capacity of the couples but also of the Children involved. Several studies have presented the argument that children’s attitude towards marriage is usually affect by their parents relationship which is likely to affect these children’s future marriages. The aim of this study is to determine the impacts of divorce on future generations’ marital stability. Specifically, this study aims at investigating the factors occurring after divorce that have an impact on the children future marriage.
Literature Review
Similar studies have been conducted in the past investigating how divorces and unstable marriage have impacted on children and other family members. One such study is the study titles “The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce” by Wallerstein and Lewis (2004). This was a 25 year study that began in 1970s and came to a conclusion in the late 1990. The purpose of the study was to investigate the psychological impacts experienced by couples and children during the divorce period and the post divorce years. This was a mixed methodology research as data was collected using extensive clinical interviews, which is more of a qualitative data collection tool.
This method was useful as it allowed for comprehensive exploration of the subjects experiences, thoughts and feeling about the subject topic adding to quantitative data collected. The study involved a track of 131 California children. A group of these children were selected from intact families (control group) while the second group was selected from homes that were experiencing divorce in the early 1970s. The selected children and parents were recontacted 18 months after the separation and at intervals of 5 years and 10 years. Interviews were conducted on these children at these intervals. Results of the study indicated that 60 % of the children from the divorced families had married as compared to 80% of the children in the control group. These researchers also observed that 50% of the children from the divorced families married before 25 years of age and out of this proportion 57% of them got divorced. Only 11% of the children from the intact families married before 25 year and 25% of this number got divorced.
At the end of the study the divorce rate of the children from the divorced families stood at 40% compared to the general national average of 35% and 11% rate for the study’s control group. Parenting in divorced families suffered inconsistency as compared to parenting in the intact families. The study by Wallerstein and Lewis (2004) came to a conclusion that, a gap existed between children who grew up in intact families as compared to those who grew up in divorced families.
Whitton, et al (2008) also conducted a similar study titled “Effects of Parental Divorce on Marital Commitment and Confidence”. This study sought to investigate whether a relationship existed between divorce of parents and level of commitment and confidence of children while entering into marriages. This research utilized quantitative skills to correct and analyze data and to describe the outcome. A total of 295 couples, which were recently engaged but not married yet, were recruited from religious organization for the purpose of the study. Variables observed were race (as participants were from white, African American, Asian American and Hispanic origin), age (between 17 and 46 years), education (median of 16 years) and income ($20,000- 29,000). Period of dating was put into consideration.
Putting all these variables into consideration was very important as these variables are likely to affect the outcome of the study. Commitment was measured using a 14 dedicated scale from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree”. Hierarchical linear modelling was used to assess the relationship between divorce and levels of confidence. The finding of the study suggested that women who grew up in divorced homes are likely to show lower levels of commitment and confidence in marriage. The relationship of parent divorce and level of commitment to marriage in men was not significant.
Amalto and Deboer (2005) also conducted a study to investigate whether it is the pre-divorce relationship that has the most impact on children future marriages or rather the actual divorce itself. Amalto and Deboar (2005) selected a total of 335 adult children who married for the first time after initial parent interview in 1980. 68 of these adult children had experienced divorce of their parents, 75 of them where exposed to parents’ marriage relationship characterized by high discord but which did not end up in divorce while 192 of these children came from intact families. Of the total number of 335 participants, 66 adult children were divorced by 1997. Out of the 66 adult children who were divorced by 1997, 30% came from divorced families, 18% came from families where parents had high discord marriages but which did not end up in divorce while 17 % came from families with parents who had low discord marriages. Amalto and Deboer (2005) came to the conclusion that, it is the actual termination of marriage that has the most impact on children’s later marital ability rather than the discord in family relationship that precedes a marital divorce.
Methods
This study will use the survey research design approach. This method was selected because it is the most convenience based on available financial and time resources as well as the scope of the study. This design involves studying a small portion of the population (sample) with the hope that this sample is true representative of the general population (Cherbanneau, 2007)A small survey was conducted to on Students in this Institution to determine their attitude towards marriage and weather it had any relation with their parents marital status. This design approach is similar to the one used in Whitton, et al (2008) study which has been covered in the previous section of the study.
Participants
A total of 100 Participants were selected from the general student population in the Institution. 50 percent of these participants were male while the other fifty percent were female. The participants were randomly distributed among all education levels and courses.
Materials
Data was collected through the use of semi-structured interview. The standardized questions in the interview guide induced responses from students concerning; Gender, Age, Ethnic Background, Parents Marital Status (Whether living with both parents, single parent or divorced parents), Family Social Economic Status (Parents Occupation). There was also a structured section that required students to give rating related to marriage. The participants were also expected to give a yes or no answer to the question on whether they would consider leaving their spouses in case of a problem. Students’ attitude towards marriage was also measured using statements such as, “It is acceptable to live marriage relationships that are unsatisfactory,” which were rated on five point likert scale (From strongly agree- strongly Disagree). The unstructured parts of the interview contained a questioned that required the participants to give their views concerning marriage.
Procedures
Participants were selected through stratified random sampling. The institution general population was sub-divided into two strata based on gender. This division was made in order to eliminate gender bias in our findings. Then participants from within the strata were then selected randomly. Participants were approach in various public areas in the institution such as cafeteria and request to respond to the interview questions.
Data Analysis
Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to analyze the data collected. The independent variable in this study was the parents’ marital status while the independent variable was attitude of the students towards marriage. The marital status of students’ parents was measured against the students’ response on the likert scale statements, which primarily tested their attitude towards marriage. Both the parents’ marital status and the students’ attitude towards marriage are ordinal variables which will be measured on an ordinal scale. Other variables considered included; age, ethnic background and social-economic backgrounds. While age and social economic background were measured on an interval scale, ethnic background was measured on an ordinal scale. The responses to the open ended part of the question were analyzed using qualitative means.
Parametric statistics were used in the data analysis process. These were the most appropriate methods to use because most of the data collected could easily be turned into scores (Robson, 2007). The study also utilized one sample in the study making the data less distributed and thus making the parametric test more applicable. Though the study has concentrated on the use of descriptive statistical measures (Percentages, mean, median and mode), inferential statistical measures (correlation and chi-square tests) are also utilized. These methods of analysis are similar to the methods applied by Wallerstein and Lewis (2004), Whitton, et al (2008) and Amalto and Deboer (2007).
Discussion
Divorce has been associated with many negative impacts on children. These include; stress associated having to deal with separation process, reduced parental care and reduced paternal role in the child’s life (Hughes, 2009). However, few things about the impacts that parents divorce may have on their children’s marriages. According to the analysis 35% of the participants reported of having experienced the divorcing of their parents, while the remaining 75% were living with both parents. When students were asked whether they would consider leaving their spouses in case something was not right in their relationship, 45% of the student had undergone a divorce experience answered that they would consider leaving while the remaining 55% said they would stay and try to fix the problem. On the hand, 60% of the students who had not experienced a divorce responded that they would not leave they would not leave their spouse in case of a marital problem while the remaining 40% said that they would.
Another question posed to the participants to test their attitude towards marriage is the age at which they plan to get married if they will get married at all. Students from divorced families reported a higher rate of advanced age at which to enter marriage than students who had never experienced a divorce. While 35% of the student from divorced families selected the range of 30-35 years, only 20% of the student who had not experienced a divorce selected this range. However, the percentage of participants selecting this range was generally higher among males than females on the two groups of participants (living divorced and intact family).
The above figures are a general indication that the parents divorce process has an impact on their children future relationships. Personality theorists have argued that people’s value systems and perceptions are usually shaped by the environment in which they grow in (Hughes, 2009). This is a likely explanation of the above results. When children witness their parents go through painful marriage processes when they are growing, they tend to develop negative attitude towards marriage. These finding is in accords with studies by Wallerstein and Lewis (2004), Whitton, et al (2008) and Amalto and Deboer (2007).
Another variable that was put into consideration was the social economic background. This was measured by telling the participant to a select a range that their parents’ income falls within. Some authors have argued that, children suffer from divorce partly due to economic losses (Hughes, 2009). From the analysis students who had experienced a divorce and whose parents had not remarried reported living on a relatively low income than the student living with both parents. However, students who had experienced a divorce but their parent later remarried reported higher combined income for the family. This suffering may have a role in the development of their negative attitude towards marriage.
Another perspective that was introduced was the aspect of the age of the children when their parents divorced. 30 percent of the participants who had experienced parents’ divorce reported of having under gone this experience before the age of 5 years. It was noted that participants who experienced their parents divorce before the age of five had a more positive view concerning marriage than the rest of the children from divorced families. Some authors have attempted to explain such an outcome by stating that children are more affected by divorce when they are aware of what is happening between their parents.
Other studies have also recorded that, children who had experiences where their parents divorce peacefully had suffer less than in cases where the period before the divorce is characterized by chaos and commotion within the house. The study also found a twist in regard to this last finding. Student who reported as having undergone the parents divorce experience, where asked whether, they were aware of what was happening to their parents in the period leading to their divorce. 15 % of these students reported of having being aware. These were mainly students who were between 10- 15 years when the divorce occurred. These students reported that their parents took time to explain what problems they were having and tried to explain why they have to go through with the divorce. These children had a more positive view about marriage.
Conclusion
This study has come to a conclusion that divorce experiences have an impact of the children marriage stability. This is because the divorce process influences the children’s attitude towards various life aspects including marriage. However, some factors concerning the divorce have been noted to contribute to the development of the child’s negative attitude towards marriage. One of these factors is how the parents handle the divorce. Students whose parents took time to explain to them why they were divorcing reported positive attitude toward the institution of marriage.
Divorce processes that have a lot of commotion and associated with pain are likely to have more impact on the children attitude. Therefore it is very necessary when divorce is inevitable for parents to manage the divorce process wisely and to make their children understand what was happening. The second factor that affect attitude of children towards marriage is the kind of life the children have after the divorce. Children who end up having a low quality life with support from both parents have higher tendency of developing negative attitude towards marriage. Therefore, it is recommended that both parents to continue supporting their children even after the divorce process.
References
Amalto P. and Deboer D. (2005). The Transmission of Divorce across Generations: Relationship Skills or Commitment to Marriage?. Journal of Marriage and the Family
Charbonneau D. (2007). Demystifying Survey Research: Practical Suggestions for Effective Question Design. Evidence Based Library and Information Practice. 2: 4
Damian S. (2010). Marriage Statistics. Retrieved on March 5, 2011, from http://ezinearticles.com/?Marriage-Statistics&id=429302
Hughes R. (2009). The Effects of Divorce on Children. Retrieved on April 23. 2011, from http://parenting247.org/article.cfm?ContentID=646
Robson S. (2007). 7 Parametric and Non-Parametric Tests. Retrieved on April 22, 2011, from http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/robson/pdfs/EDAC07.pdf
Wallerstein J and Lewis J. (2004). The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce: Report of a 25 Years Study. Journal of Psychoanalytic Psychology, 21 (3), 353- 370
Whitton S. et al (2008). Effects of Parental Divorce on Marital Commitment and Confidence. Journal Fam Psychol, 22 (5), 789- 793
