How young adults perceive parental divorce: The role of their relationships with their fathers and mothers

The aim of this study was to examine the extent to which perception of parental divorce among young adults is related to their recounting of the relationships with their parents. Interviews were held with 51 (30 female and 21 male) Israeli young adults involved in a romantic relationship and whose parents had divorced. Participants were asked to talk about how they felt about and understood the divorce currently. In addition, subjects were asked to talk about their relationships with their mothers and fathers. Analyses of young adults’ recounts showed the perception of divorce to be multifaceted. They did not describe high levels of anger or current sense of loss but recalled past loss. Yet despite the recalled past loss, young adults described the divorce in an integrative manner. The quality of relationships with fathers more than with mothers was associated with how parental divorce was perceived. Quality of paternal presence during childhood as well as maturity of current relationship with the father, though lower than that with the mother, were related not only to lower levels of anger or sense of loss in the past, but also to a more integrative perception of the divorce and lower sense of current loss. The special role of fathers after divorce is discussed.