The effects of marital transitions on children's well-being were investigated using data taken from Cycles 1 and 2 of the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY). Children's aggressiveness and emotional problems (parent- and teacher-reported) were the central outcome variables used in the analyses. Child-level variables included age, gender, as well as parenting quality, friendship quality and violence in the home. Family-level variables indexed economic, social, and developmental risks for all the children in the family (i.e., socio-economic status, parental income-education, parental depression, urban setting, family size, previous relationship transitions, and cohabitation status).
Rates of separation for families in the NLSCY indicate that over the two-year span, five percent of families experienced an upheaval. As well, stepfamilies and single-parent families were far less stable than biological or "intact" families. Individual, family and socio-cultural factors were all involved in increasing the likelihood of separation during the two year period. It was found that prior to experiencing a separation, children were already showing greater difficulties in their behaviours and that the magnitude and direction of the effect varied across family type and by adjustment dimension. Specifically, there is some evidence that children of stepfamilies are exhibiting more behavioural / emotional problems prior to their parent's separation. Using multilevel modelling, the hypothesis that separation predicts a (further) increase in children's adjustment was investigated. The results indicated that even when level of disturbance is controlled, marital separation was associated with an increase in emotional problems in children. According to parent-report data, children in the same family were differentially affected by their parents' separation. However, protective factors such as positive parenting style moderated the effect of a parental separation on the children (according to teacher reports).
This research advances policy and program directions by demonstrating the need to focus on both child- and family-level risks. As well, the differential effects of a parental separation on siblings indicates that we need to direct policy/practices to the needs of each child within a family. Further, the promotion of positive parenting practices would reduce the adverse effects of marital separation on Canadian children.
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