How common is parent–adult child estrangement? — Reczek et al

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Parent–adult child estrangement in the United States by gender, race/ethnicity, and sexuality

Rin Reczek, Lawrence Stacey & Mieke Beth Thomeer — Journal of Marriage and Family — 2023

This open-access study uses nationally representative US longitudinal data to estimate how often adult children become estranged from their mothers and fathers, and how often those relationships later resume.

The researchers found that 6% of respondents reported a period of estrangement from their mother and 26% from their father. Estrangement was not always permanent: in later survey waves, 81% of those estranged from mothers and 69% of those estranged from fathers were no longer estranged.

The study also examines how patterns vary according to gender, race or ethnicity and sexuality.

Why we’ve included it:
Reliable estimates of how common estrangement is are difficult to obtain because studies use different definitions and samples. This is particularly valuable because it uses a large nationally representative longitudinal dataset and also shows that estrangement can change over time rather than necessarily being permanent.

The figures relate to the United States and should not automatically be assumed to apply to the UK.

Read the full open-access article at Wiley

Reference: Reczek, R., Stacey, L. & Thomeer, M. B. (2023). Parent–adult child estrangement in the United States by gender, race/ethnicity, and sexuality. Journal of Marriage and Family, 85(2), 494–517.

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