Het verband tussen ouderlijke conflicten en de relatiekwaliteit van jongeren met hun vader en moeder. Het verschil tussen gescheiden en intacte gezinnen

Abstract

Divorce rates in the Western world are consistently high, and numerous studies show that a parental divorce is a serious risk factor for children’s adjustment. However, research increasingly shows that this risk is not so much related to the divorce itself but rather to family factors often associated with it, like conflicts between parents and quality of the parentchild relationships. In this study the association between interparental conflicts and the quality of the parent-child relationship has been examined, including the differences between intact and divorced families. Analyses were based on data from 1923 children from intact families and 443 children from divorced families from the survey study ‘Scholieren en Gezinnen 2013’ [Students and Families 2013]. These two groups of youngsters were compared concerning the linkage between interparental conflicts and the quality of the father- child and mother-child relationship. Results showed a significant negative relation between interparental conflicts and both the quality of the mother-child and father-child relationship, and the strength of this relation differed significantly according to family structure as well as parent gender. Firstly, interparental conflicts in divorced families are more strongly related to relationship quality with father compared to mother. Secondly, the association between interparental conflicts and quality of the mother child relationship in intact families is stronger compared to divorced families. Thus, conflicts between parents play already in intact families a role in the parent-child relationship. Furthermore, the father-child relationship in divorced families is vulnerable by the presence of interparental conflicts. More research is needed regarding the possible association with the quantity of the contact with fathers after divorce. What does the father-child relationship look like in families with co-parenting on an equal base? Furthermore, more research is needed regarding the role of differences in gender by adolescents. Strengths and limitations of the research are described.