Divorce, Single-Parenting, and Remarriage: Brief Literature Review

Divorce, Single-Parenting, and Remarriage: Brief Literature ReviewKari AanestadDivorce and AdultsAttachment, marital satisfaction, and divorce during the first fifteen years of parenthood. By:HIRSCHBERGER, GILAD; SRIVASTAVA, SANJAY; MARSH, PENNY; COWAN, CAROLYN PAPE;COWAN, PHILIP A.. Personal Relationships; Sep2009, Vol. 16 Issue 3, p401, 20pThis article summarizes the results of a longitudinal study that tracked the changes in levels ofmarital satisfaction over 15 years following the transition to parenthood, observed therelationship between attachment security and marital satisfaction, and finally tested whetherattachment security and marital satisfaction were significant predictors of divorce. The studyfound that marital satisfaction and attachment security are not necessarily related; a marriagemay have a secure attachment but low levels of satisfaction and vice versa. With that beingsaid, this study had two primary findings: 1. Couples who were more satisfied at the beginningof the study were more likely to be together four years later (relationships with high maritalsatisfaction at the beginning of the marriage are more likely to stay together over time). 2.Husbands’ marital satisfaction around the first child’s transition to school is the best predictorof divorce around the time when the child is 15.There were a number of interesting findings of particular importance to PCC students: Interms of premarital care, this study emphasizes the importance of marital satisfaction at thebeginning of the marriage. Therefore, if a practitioner can identify couples with initial lowerlevels of satisfaction, he/she can work with the couple to develop resources earlier on. In termsof family therapy, this study reveals that parenthood places an incredible amount of stress onindividuals. Even though parenthood can lead to higher levels of attachment security, it mostoften leads to declining marital satisfaction, which is important to be aware of as a pastoralcounselor.In concert and alone: divorce and congregational experience. By: Jenkins, Kathleen E.. Source:Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 49 no 2 Je 2010, p 278-292This article summarizes the findings of a four-year ethnographic study of 41 individuals whoended life partnerships while active in their congregations in six different religious traditions.The author discovered a paradox that transcended denominations: the congregation was aplace where great healing could take place after a divorce but was also a place where greatshame and guilt were experienced. In other words, two competing themes emerged: that “asense of marked aloneness, resulting from shame and congregational silence regarding endinglife partnerships, permeated [interviewees’] communal experiences,” and also a number ofcongregational resources (support groups, separation ceremonies and pastoral counseling,weekly services, worship and ritual, music, and the provision of familiar and stable ground)aided the healing process.This article is a great example of how ethnographic research is conducted and writtenup, which may be helpful for some Ph.D. students in pastoral care and counseling. It’s also arelatively short piece that could help introduce M.Div. students to some of the more complexnuances of the way divorce is treated and lived out in congregational life from the perspectiveof those who have ended life partnerships.1 Pastoral Care bibliographies 2013

more stressful than their mother’s. The discussion section of this paper could be a very helpfulresource in a pastoral care and counseling class.Twenty Major Issues in Remarriage Families. By: Walsh, William M.. Journal of Counseling &Development; 70(6): pp. 709-715; Jul/Aug 1992, 7pThis article surveys the current literature on remarriage in families and identifies 20 majorissues present, organized into four categories: (1) Initial Family Stress - name for the newparent, affection for the new parent and absent parent, loss of the natural parent, instant loveof new family members, fantasy about old family structure; (2) Developing Family Issues -discipline by the stepparent, confusion over family roles, sibling conflict, competition for time,extended kinship network, sexual conflicts, changes over time, exit and entry of children; (3)Feelings About Self and Others - society’s concept of the remarriage family, familial selfconcept,individual self concept; (4) Adult Issues - effects of parenting on the new maritalrelationship, financial concerns, continuing adult conflict, competition of the noncustodialparent.Single-ParentingDevelopmental Issues Impacting Military Families With Young Children During Single andMultiple Deployments. By: Barker, Lisa Hains; Berry, Kathy D.. Military Medicine; Oct2009, Vol.174 Issue 10, p1033, 8p.This article researched 57 families with at least one young child to study how children areaffected by single and multiple Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation EnduringFreedom (OEF) deployments. Though there are some self-reported weaknesses to the study,the findings affirmed what most pastoral caregivers might suspect: children with a deployedparent showed increased behavior problems during deployment and increased attachmentbehaviors when reunited with the deployed parent (ie. “ Home discipline problems, sadness,and increased demands for attention may be present in as many as 25-50% of children youngerthan 5 with a deployed parent”). I found the article to be an interesting segue into one facet ofsingle-parenting and family stress that is not always as prevalent as other issues.Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorder in Lone Fathers and Mothers: Examining the Intersection ofGender and Family Structure on Mental Health. By: Wade, Terrance J.; Veldhuizen, Scott;Cairney, John. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry; Sep2011, Vol. 56 Issue 9, p567, 7pThis article identified a lack of research on the effects of family structure (namely singleparenthood)on fathers. Using the Canadian Community Health Survey: Mental Health andWell-Being for data, the study analyzed 769 lone fathers. The article reports that lone fathersare at greater risk for psychiatric disorders (ie. depression, mania, panic, and substance usedisorders) than married parents and are less likely to seek mental health care. This article,though focusing on fathers, emphasizes that being a lone parent (both mothers and fathers) is adisadvantaged social status, and lone parents show significantly higher rates of psychiatricdisorder compared to their married counterparts.3 Pastoral Care bibliographies 2013