The Effect of Marital Disruption on Child's Attachment to Parents

Using data from a sample of 2135 midwestern college students, this article examines the consequences of marital disruption on child-parent attachment. Among the factors considered in the analysis are death versus divorce, amount of conflict in intact and divorced homes, sex of custodial parent, custodial parent's remarriage, and relationships with stepparents. The results show that disruption does not reduce a child's attachment to the custodial parent. Divorce does reduce a child's attachment to the noncustodial parent, however, and thus reduces the child's total affectional network. This pattern is particularly problematic in father-custody homes.