Beginning in 1971 Judith Wallerstein began a longitudinal study of the long-term effects of divorce in one hundred children in a Northern California community. The children were interviewed in depth at the beginning of the study and at intervals thereafter, and the results were compared with those from children from families in which the parents remained together. The results after twenty five years were published in 2000.260 There were also reports at earlier stages of the on-going study.261 Wallerstein was surprised by the extent to which adverse effects of divorce on children persisted into later years. Adult children of divorced parents found it more difficult to form intimate and lasting relationships than did children in the control group. Of the children of divorced parents, 60% were married after 25 years, compared to 80% of those in the control group. Of adult children of divorce, 38% had children, 17% of whom were born out of wedlock, compared to 60% and 0% respectively of the control group. Children of divorced parents were five times more likely to marry before age 25 and had much higher rates of divorce. They were more likely to expect their relationships to fail, to struggle with fear of loss, conflict, betrayal and loneliness. Wallerstein found that even children of parents who stayed together in spite of serious difficulties fared better than did children whose parents divorced. Though the thoroughness of her investigation gives weight to Wallerstein’s conclusions, others have minimized the long-term effects of divorce on children. Dunlop and Burns in an Australian study do not find any “sleeper” or delayed effect of divorce on children.262 Amato and Booth state that the adult children of divorce scored lower than other children on measures of psychological, social and material well being but the differences were generally small, especially in case of “low stress divorce”.263 They also report that children whose
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Wallerstein, Judith, Julia Lewis & Sandy Blakeslee, The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce: a 25 Year Landmark Study, New York, Hyperion, c2000. 261 Wallerstein Judith, & Joan Berlin Kelly, Surviving the Breakup: How Children and Parents Cope with Divorce, New York, Basic Books, c1980; Wallerstein, Judith, & Sandra Blakeslee, Second Chances: Man, Women, and Children a Decade after Divorce, New York, Ticknor & Fields, c1990. 262 Dunlop, Rosemary, & Ailsa Burns, “The sleeper effect – myth or reality?” Journal of Marriage and Family 57(1995) 375-86. 263 Amato, Paul, & Alan Booth, “Consequences of parental divorce and marital unhappiness for adult wellbeing” Social Forces 69(1991) 895-914.
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