Effect of divorce on the parent – child relationships
Amato (1994) studied mother and father relation to young adults and the result of this study indicated that a close relationship with the parents influences the young adults’ happiness, life, satis-faction, distress and self esteem. Relationship between divorced parents and their children continues to be characterized by low levels of contact, affection and intergenerational exchange well after the children became adults. Booth and Amato (2001) and Grief (1997) found that adult children from custodial father families perceive higher relationship quality with their mother- custody families. The clinical manifestation of divorce in children depends on many variables including child’s age, family, psycho-social functioning, the parents’ ability in the midst of their own anger loss and discomfort to focus on their child’s feelings and needs.