Edward R. Anderson

An experimental evaluation of theory-based mother and mother–child programs for children of divorce.

This study evaluated the efficacy of 2 theory-based preventive interventions for divorced families: a program for mothers and a dual component mother-child program. The mother program targeted mother-child relationship quality, discipline, interparental conflict, and the father-child relationship. The child program targeted active coping, avoidant coping, appraisals of divorce stressors, and mother-child relationship quality. Families with a 9- to 12-year-old child (N = 240) were randomly assigned to the mother, dual-component, or self-study program. Postintervention comparisons showed significant positive program effects of the mother program versus self-study condition on relationship quality, discipline, attitude toward father-child contact, and adjustment problems. For several outcomes, more positive effects occurred in families with poorer initial functioning. Program effects on externalizing problems were maintained at 6-month follow-up. A few additive effects of the dual-component program occurred for the putative mediators; none occurred for adjustment problems.

Ready to Take a Chance Again

Abstract After a marital break up parents may make efforts to find new romantic partners, although little is known about how the process of repartnering unfolds. This study consisted of surveying by phone two samples of divorcing custodial parents who had been identified from court records (N = 39 for recent filers, N = 39 for one-year post filers). Results indicate that repartnering happened fairly quickly, with 50% having had some dating experience even prior to the divorce filing. At one-year post filing, typically parents had dated two new partners (range = 0-7) and their children had witnessed 2.5 new relationship transitions (range = 0-9). Among recent filers, younger parents, those with greater time since separation, and those in households containing other (nonromantic adults) were significantly more likely to have dated. While there were no differences in dating by ethnic group, African American parents reported significantly longer times since separation. Parental strategies for handling children involved encapsulation at 13% of the sample (no child awareness or exposure to dating), graded at 47% (gradual awareness and exposure to dating as the romance deepens) and transparent at 40% (total child awareness and exposure from the first date).

Transitions in Parental Repartnering After Divorce

Abstract Following divorce, the majority of parents will become involved with new partners. While many look forward to the opportunity to establish satisfying romantic relationships, the process of dating and courtship presents challenges to child and family adjustment. There is limited literature on how this process unfolds, and thus, a need for systematic research on divorce and remarriage. This should include considerations of postdivorce repartnering. Toward directing future research, we provide empirical support for nine potential relationship transitions that come into play as adults manage the process of forming new romantic relationships and incorporating them into existing relationships with their children.

Mothers’ Depressive Symptoms Predict Both Increased and Reduced Negative Reactivity Aversion Sensitivity and the Regulation of Emotion

This study examined whether, as mothers’ depressive symptoms increase, their expressions of negative emotion to children increasingly reflect aversion sensitivity and motivation to minimize ongoing stress or discomfort. In multiple interactions over 2 years, negative affect expressed by 319 mothers and their children was observed across variations in mothers’ depressive symptoms, the aversiveness of children’s immediate behavior, and observed differences in children’s general negative reactivity. As expected, depressive symptoms predicted reduced maternal negative reactivity when child behavior was low in aversiveness, particularly with children who were high in negative reactivity. Depressive symptoms predicted high negative reactivity and steep increases in negative reactivity as the aversiveness of child behavior increased, particularly when high and continued aversiveness from the child was expected (i.e., children were high in negative reactivity). The findings are consistent with the proposal that deficits in parenting competence as depressive symptoms increase reflect aversion sensitivity and motivation to avoid conflict and suppress children’s aversive behavior.

Evaluating Parenting Coordination Programs: Encouraging Results From Pilot Testing a Research Methodology

A subset of families who separate and divorce become embroiled in conflict and demand a disproportionate amount of court resources both during and after their legal divorce process. The court system has responded by establishing parenting coordination (PC) programs to assist parents in resolving conflict without utilizing court resources to do so. In spite of widespread implementation, empirical research into the effects of PC programs is “practically nonexistent” (Henry, Fieldstone, & Bohac, 2009). The present study is a pilot study of a PC program in one jurisdiction to investigate the use of a methodology not previously used within the parenting coordination literature to test the effectiveness of PC programs. Variables relating to the amount of judicial, court personnel, outside agency, and parental time that was spent on each case were coded from legal divorce files. Results indicate that the PC program reduced the number of: motions filed by parents, documents processed by court personnel, judicial hearings, and changes in agreements ordered by judges for this small sample. The methodology pilot tested was successful and provided a comprehensive analysis. While a small pilot, the overall conclusion reached is this PC program is promising for in easing the burden on court personnel, reducing the number of agencies involved with the family and in assisting parents in making longer-lasting parenting decisions. Important next steps are to cross validate these findings using a larger sample and a control group with similar characteristics who were not assigned parenting coordinators.

Characterizing Mother’s Dating After Divorce

Mothers dating after divorce is a dynamic process, where not all mothers date the same way after divorce. However, few studies have examined the different ways that mothers date after divorce, which should influence maternal well-being, risk behaviors, and the quality of their relationships. This study characterizes four different approaches to mothers’ repartnering (referred to as repartnering histories): no dating, dating one partner monogamously, dating multiple partners serially, and dating multiple partners simultaneously. Each repartnering history is characterized by demographic variables, relationship quality, and maternal well-being. Implications of the study are discussed.

Patterns of intimate partner violence in a large, epidemiological sample of divorcing couples.

In many jurisdictions divorcing couples are court-ordered to participate in divorce mediation to resolve parenting plan disputes prior to a court allowing a case to proceed to trial. Historically, a significant number (40-80%) of these divorcing couples enter this highly stressful legal process having experienced violence and abuse within the relationship (Pearson, 1997). Several researchers have developed typologies that describe couple-level patterns of Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse (IPV/A) behaviors; one research team suggested their typology could apply specifically to such divorcing people (Kelly & Johnson, 2008). In this context, identification and accurate classification of IPV/A can lead to better decisions as long-term, difficult to modify custody orders concerning the children are made during divorce mediation. Accurate identification and classification of IPV/A can also assist clinical researchers designing specialized interventions for couples and individuals experiencing IPV/A, mental health practitioners who may treat these families, and custody evaluators who may make recommendations to the courts. The current study includes a large epidemiological sample of divorcing couples and provides a robust statistical solution with five distinct categories of IPV/A. Two of the five categories were similar to those proposed by Johnson (2006c). The current study also provides descriptions and frequencies of each type of IPV/A, and discusses implications for court personnel, researchers and practitioners.

Observed negativity in large family systems: Incidents and reactions.

Marital researchers and information theorists have posited that expressed negativity by a family member affects the subsequent interaction. This study examined expressed negativity based on marital quality, stepfamily status, and child gender. Base-rate analyses indicated that negativity occurred once every 12 s. Whereas negativity more commonly arose in families containing distressed marriages, there were no differences in frequency by stepfamily status, child gender, or respective speaker. In contrast, the lag sequential analyses suggested that the presence of girls facilitated a more rapid recovery from effects of negativity. More enduring effects of negativity occurred for 3 of the groups containing boys, particularly with the presence of distressed marriages. Findings suggest deleterious effects to system-level processes when distressed marriages and male offspring are present.

Expressing Negative Emotions to Children: Mothers' Aversion Sensitivity and Children's Adjustment.

Research is unclear about when expressing negative emotions to children performs valuable socialization and regulatory functions and when, instead, it undermines children’s adjustment. In this study, we isolated 1 kind of negative expression to test the aversion sensitivity hypothesis: that rapid increases in mothers’ negativity as a function of increases in the aversiveness of children’s behavior are uniquely problematic for children. During multiple assessments of a divorcing sample over 2 years (N = 284), 12-min interactions between mothers and their 4- to 11-year-old children were recorded. Forty-seven observed child behaviors were ranked from low to high aversive. Within-dyad changes demonstrated that mothers’ general negativity—their tendency to express negative emotion at high rates—was unrelated to children’s adjustment. In contrast, mothers’ aversion-focused negativity—their tendency to increase negative emotional expression rapidly as the aversiveness of children’s behavior increased—predicted children’s poor social competence, poor emotion regulation, and externalizing behavior problems at the next assessment. The findings suggest that negative expression that reflects mothers’ affective sensitivity to aversive child behavior may promote interaction patterns and adaptations in children that are particularly likely to place children at risk for adjustment problems.

Mothers’ Dating after Divorce

Abstract Purpose The goal of this chapter is to examine (1) how children’s rapport with dating partners predicts mothers’ dating stability; (2) how characteristics of dating partners are associated with children’s problem behaviors; and (3) how mothers’ lingering attachment to the former spouse predicts relationship quality of dating relationships. Methodology/approach Data comes from a multimethod, multi-informant longitudinal study of postdivorce dating relationships (N = 319 mothers, n = 178 children, n = 153 dating partners). Hierarchical linear modeling techniques were used to test consequences of breakup of mothers’ dating relationships for children’s behaviors, children’s rapport with dating partners for mothers’ dating relationship stability, and mothers’ lingering attachment for quality of dating relationships. Findings We found that children’s rapport with dating partners was positively associated with dating breakup; more antisocial traits and drunkenness of mothers’ dating partners was positively associated with children’s problem behaviors at breakup; and lingering attachment was positively associated with poorer relationship quality with dating partners. Research limitations/implications Because the focus of this chapter is divorced mothers with children, future studies are recommended to examine fathers’ postdivorce dating relationships. Future research should delineate dating, cohabiting, and remarried relationships after divorce. Originality/value This chapter presents empirical data examining the influence children have on mothers’ dating relationships, the influence of mothers’ dating relationships on children’s behaviors, and the effects of mothers’ lingering attachment to the former spouse on quality of mothers’ dating relationships. Information from this research is crucial for researchers and practitioners to assist mother’s and children’s postdivorce adjustment.