Fathers after divorce — Ahrons & Tanner

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Adult Children and Their Fathers: Relationship Changes 20 Years After Parental Divorce

Constance R. Ahrons & Jennifer L. Tanner — Family Relations — 2003

This peer-reviewed study followed up adult children around 20 years after their parents’ divorce and examined how their relationships with their fathers had changed over time.

Based on interviews with 173 adult children, the study found that most reported that their relationships with their fathers had either improved or remained stable. However, higher levels of conflict between parents, early remarriage by the father and low paternal involvement in the years after divorce were associated with relationships becoming worse over time.

Why we’ve included it:
Divorce and separation can form part of the background to later estrangement between fathers and adult children. This study is useful because it looks at those relationships over a long period and identifies some of the factors associated with deterioration, while also showing that worsening relationships are far from inevitable.

View the abstract and publication details at Wiley

Reference: Ahrons, C. R. & Tanner, J. L. (2003). Adult Children and Their Fathers: Relationship Changes 20 Years After Parental Divorce. Family Relations, 52(4), 340–351.

Inclusion in our library means we believe this item is relevant to understanding parent–adult child relationships and estrangement. It does not mean Estranged Parents endorses every interpretation or conclusion expressed.