Kim Bastaits

Breaking Up, Breaking Hearts? Characteristics of the Divorce Process and Well-Being After Divorce

This article expands existing research on divorce and mental health by considering the divorce process and how it relates to the postdivorce well-being of men and women. Drawing on gender role theories, we focus on conflict, duration of the divorce process, initiation, moving house, and feelings of (in)equity. Men and women aged 25 to 60 years who had divorced no more than 5 years were selected from the population-based survey Divorce in Flanders (DIF; N sample = 728). Results of the multilevel regressions indicate that initiation, shared initiation, and a fair perception of the division at divorce relate to better mental health. Contrary to expectations, longer trajectories and trajectories characterized by conflict do not relate to worse mental health in the long run. A new partner seems to be the key for greater well-being after divorce.

The parenting styles of divorced fathers and their predictors

Research on paternal parenting after divorce indicated that children benefit from authoritative parenting. Fathers are not equally likely to be authoritative. Research on differences in divorced fathers’ parenting styles remains underdeveloped. We sought to address this gap, investigating the predictors of paternal parenting styles following divorce. First, latent class analysis was utilized to derive parenting styles for divorced fathers. Second, predictors of these styles were investigated with multinomial logistic regression. Analyses examined Belgian data on 404 children (49.01% girls) and their parents. Results reveal that important predictors include not only father and child characteristics but also mother characteristics and divorce-related characteristics. The findings therefore lend support to the idea of studying paternal parenting following divorce within a multilateral family framework.

Do Divorced Fathers Matter? The Impact of Parenting Styles of Divorced Fathers on the Well-Being of the Child

Previous research, which primarily focused on parenting of married parents or divorced mothers, indicated that authoritative parenting is positively related to children’s well-being. This article contributes to the literature by investigating parenting styles of divorced fathers and their influence on children’s well-being. Using a subsample (N = 684) of the multiactor Divorce in Flanders data set, we first compare parenting styles of residential fathers, fathers in joint custody, and nonresidential fathers. Second, the relationship between those parenting styles and children’s well-being is examined. Third, we investigate if this relationship differs according to custodial arrangements. Results indicate that nonresidential fathers are more permissive and uninvolved. Authoritative fathers in different custodial arrangements have a positive influence on children’s well-being.

Parenting and Family Structure After Divorce: Are They Related?

ABSTRACT Children are raised in various family structures after a parental divorce. Currently, research including both repartnering and the custodial arrangement when investigating parenting is scarce and mainly proceeds from a maternal perspective, ignoring potential partner effects. Consequently, we investigate differences in parenting after divorce according to family structure (repartnering and custodial arrangement), analyzing a dyadic subsample of the multiactor Divorce in Flanders data set (616 children and parents) using a structural equation model. We conclude that living with a partner has a positive effect on parenting, whereas not living with the child has a relatively negative effect on parenting, regardless of the parental gender.