Familial predictors of self-concept in children who have experienced parental divorce

Currently, over 1% of the total United States population is involved in divorce annually (Bloom, White, & Asher, 1979). The divorce adjustment process traditionally has been viewed from the woman's perspective because she is most likely to be the custodial parent. There is no reason to believe that children, any more than their parents, escape from the divorce experience without some effect (Despert, 1953). Weiss (1975) proposed that the father remains a significant factor in the woman's and children's adjustment while facing his own adjustment problems. Therefore, the divorce experience involves and affects every member of the family unit. The unique contribution of this study was the consideration of the divorce experience as a family experience, or how the postdivorce adjustments of the mother and father affect the self-concept of the child(ren). Of special interest was the child's perception of familial relationships.

A sample of 20 families (20 mothers, 20 fathers, and 33 children) was obtained from the Knox County Chancery Court Records. This study was an expansion of the Pais (1978) study and was part of an ongoing project in the Department of Child and Family Studies. Parents' current adjustment and adjustment at the time of divorce were measured by modified versions of Blair's Divorcee’s Adjustment Instrument. Self-concept in children was measured by the Self-Concept Referents Test (ages 3-7 years) and Bills Index of Adjustment and Values (ages 8-21 years). Children's perceptions of family relationships were measured by the Bronfenbrenner Parent Behavior Questionnaire (ages 10-21 years) and the Social Schemas Test (ages 3-2l years).

A stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to compare the independent variables (mother's current adjustment, mother's adjustment at the time of divorce, father's current adjustment, and father's adjustment at the time of divorce) with the dependent variable (children's self-concept). Correlations were used to ascertain relationships between children's self-concept and children's perceptions of familial relationships and relationships among the independent variables.

Mother's current adjustment was found to be a predictor of children's self-concept. However, no relationship was found between children's self-concept and mother's adjustment at the time of divorce, father's current adjustment and adjustment at the time of divorce. No relationship was found between children's perceptions of familial relationships and children's self-concepts.