Fear of abandonment as a mediator of the relations between divorce stressors and mother-child relationship quality and children's adjustment problems.
This study examines whether fear of abandonment mediates the prospective relations between divorce stressors and mother-child relationship quality and adjustment problems of children of divorce. Participants were 216 children, ages 8-12, and their primary residential mothers. Children reported on divorce stressors and fear of abandonment; mothers and children reported on mother-child relationship quality and internalizing and externalizing problems. Structural equation models indicated that Time 1 fear of abandonment mediated the relation between Time 1 divorce stressors and Time 2 internalizing and externalizing problems. Time 1 fear of abandonment also mediated the relation between Time 1 mother-child relationship quality and Time 2 internalizing and externalizing problems. Implications of these results for understanding variability in children's postdivorce adjustment problems and interventions for divorced families are discussed.
Wolchik
Sharlene A
SA
Program for Prevention Research, Arizona State University, Tempe 85287-1104, USA. sharlene.wolchik@asu.edu
Tein
Jenn-Yun
JY
Sandler
Irwin N
IN
Doyle
Kathryn W
KW
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D002648:Child; D002667:Child Reactive Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D002670:Child, Abandoned / Q000523:psychology*; D004243:Divorce / Q000523:psychology*; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012307:Risk Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications*