The direct and moderating effects of social support for children following marital separation

The purpose of this study was to examine the direct and moderating effects of social support on the relationship between life change and child maladjustment following marital separation. The sample consisted of 138 residential parents with children between the ages of 3 and 18. Child maladjustment was conceptualized in terms of four dimensions: aggression, anxiety/depression, dependency, and low productivity. Life change was measured by assessing the occurrence and disruptiveness of changes in children's lives since the separation. Three dimensions of social support were measured: global support, sources of support and functions of support. The results provide more evidence for moderating effects of social support than direct effects. Support sources moderated more relationships than support functions. The dependent variables that were moderated by social support were measures of externalizing behavior problems.