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Research has shown that stress is related to negative physical and psychological changes among adults. Compared to the large body of literature on stress among adults, research on the effects of life stress among children and adolescents is relatively sparse. There is evidence, however, that stressful life events are related to problems among children and adolescents. Such problems include poor health, psychological distress, depression, suicide, and delinquent behavior. Research also has revealed several factors that moderate stress in children and adolescents. These factors include high self-esteem, an internal locus of control orientation, and social support from family and friends. Five scales measuring locus of control orientation, social support, level of psychosocial development, self-esteem, life events, and delinquent behavior were given to thirty early adolescents from divorced homes and thirty-four adolescents from intact homes. Results of regression analysis, using a general linear model, indicated that early adolescents from divorced homes had lower levels of self-esteem than children from intact homes. There were no significant differences between children from divorced and intact families in levels of delinquent behavior, locus of control, or psychosocial development as reflected in levels of autonomy, intimacy, and identity. Multiple regression analysis revealed that social support in the form of close friend support had a significant moderating effect on the delinquent behavior of early adolescents experiencing parental divorce. Levels of parental, teacher, and classmate support, as well as self-esteem and locus of control orientation, did not show any moderating effects on delinquent behavior. This study indicates that the impact of parental divorce on early adolescents is influenced by many factors. This study lends support to the need to investigate the effects of divorce on children and adolescents in terms of the coping resources available to the child. / Graduation date: 1992

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2001. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 125-131). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Thesis (M.S.)--Naval Postgraduate School, 2004. / Title from title screen (viewed July 27, 2004). "June 2004." Includes bibliographical references (p. 57-66).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2003. / Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 122-131).

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Sciences

The purpose of the present study was to examine Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) and to expand the research based knowledge in the area. PAS entails both psychological processes and legal dimensions as it occurs primarily within the context of custody litigation. False allegations of abuse (FA) are commonly associated with PAS and similarly entail both psychological and legal issues. The research comprised two separate studies. First, interviews with target parents were conducted to attain their unique perceptions and experiences of PAS and on the way their cases were handled within the legal system. Second, a quantitative comparison between PAS and FA was performed to identify any similarities and differences and examine a possible relationship between the two. Results highlighted inherent difficulties for successful joint custody arrangements for PAS families as communication was difficult and litigation was prominent. In spite of well-established parent-child relationships before the divorce, these were negatively impacted with the onset of litigation. Parents and children were negatively impacted from the PAS, including reported mental illness for both. In FA cases the children were found to be significantly younger and from one-child families compared with PAS families. Women were found to more likely be the alienators or accusers of FA. In spite of having the legal authority to deal with the PAS, judges reportedly rarely utilized this power. The limitations of the research are discussed and direction for future study given.

This qualitative study examines alienated parents' perceptions of their own experience of Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS). The participants were five fathers and one mother. The data were collected via semi-structured, open-ended interview questionnaires. A qualitative analysis of the data was performed for each participant in an attempt to answer the following questions: (1) Are there characteristics (e.g., number of children, number of marriages, etc.) common to alienated families? (2) Are there common themes or issues among the conflicts between couples that contribute to marriage dissolution? (3) From the lost parent's perspective, are there commonalities in the underlying causes of the alienation? (4) Are there common themes in the participants' experience of the alienation process? (5) Given the opportunity what are some things that the lost parents perceive they might do differently? The findings are discussed and the limitations of the present study are given.

Studies on the effects of divorce on children often focus on the event of the divorce as being detrimental to the children. It is becoming more evident, however, that it is not the physical loss of a parent in itself that leads to later adjustment problems, but rather the type of environment in which the child lives. The present study examined the relationship between current and past familial conflict, as perceived by college students, and their current attitudes toward marriage. This study also explored the relationship between the family structure in which the students lived (intact vs. divorced) and their current attitudes toward divorce.Two hundred four students from a midwestern university participated in this study. Participants completed four questionnaires: (1) the Family Environment Scale -current; (2) the Attitudes Toward Marriage scale; (3) the Attitudes Toward Divorce scale; and (4) the Family Environment Scale - past. The following hypotheses were tested: (1) Students who perceived high levels of conflict in their families currently or while growing up will have less favorable attitudes toward marriage; (2) Students who experienced parental divorce will have more favorable attitudes toward divorce than students from intact homes. Analyses included multiple regression analyses predicting attitudes toward marriage and attitudes toward divorce from conflict and family structure.Contrary to expectations, perceived levels of conflict were not significantly related to attitudes toward marriage, and family structure was not a significant predictor of attitudes toward divorce. Compared to students from intact homes, students from divorced homes reported significantly higher levels of conflict in their homes while growing up. Implications of these findings and limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

The purpose of this study was to fully explore children's reactions to parental separation and to look at these reactions in relation to a number of environmental, demographic, and temperamental variables. The study also investigated parents' perceptions of children's reactions and the relationship between the two. Forty children between the ages of 8 and 12 years, inclusive, whose parents had been separated less than 3 years, participated in the study. A number of descriptive and ethnographic procedures were utilized. A negative correlation of.62 was obtained between anxiety and self-esteem. The children in the study appeared to have a well-developed, reality-based comprehension of the divorce, even though they were generally sad about the divorce and hoped for a reconciliation. Meaningful results were observed when the children's responses were compared with regard to gender, age, and duration of separation. Few differences in response were noted with regard to levels of self-esteem. Anxiety, however, appeared to be related to many rather apparent differences in response. When parents' responses were compared to children's responses, a moderate variability was observed in those questions related to time periods. In the open-ended questions, there was moderate variability in response agreement between parent and child. Differences in response were also noted with regard to when the children were told about the separation and by whom.