Coping as Divorced Single Parents: A Comparative Study of Fathers and Mothers

Knowledge of coping patterns and the adjustment to divorce of single parent fathers with custody of the children and single parent mothers with custody is important to many professionals in the decision-making process during custody disputes. A study of 33 divorced single parent fathers and 38 divorced single parent mothers found almost no statistically significant differences between the two groups on a large number of measures. Fathers held a slight edge over the mothers in income, education, and the tendency not to move from their home and community after the divorce. But in responding to 63 questions in the areas of the history of the divorce process, feelings as a single parent, childrearing issues, the children's feelings and behaviors, relations with the ex-spouse, and forming new social relationships, the two groups of parents differed significantly on only one question.