Child's Emotional Well-being and Parental Marriage Stability in Croatia

The research was performed in Croatia, a country differing in social value system from the USA and Western European countries, to test how parental marriage stability affects a childs emotional reactions or the childs well-being. Seven hundred and seventy couples and their children were included in the study. Couples were divided into 3 groups, based on the stability of their marriage: intact (N = 234), impaired or distressed (N = 266) and divorced (N = 261). Altogether 1163 children were included in the study. Dependent variables representing childs emotional wellbeing were: mood instability and frequency of depressive symptoms. Using MANCOVA and ANCOVA statistical procedures and controlling for mothers and fathers age and education and the childs age, results were obtained according to which children coming from intact families showed the highest emotional well-being. There was a significant difference in the variables representing the childs emotional well-being between children coming from intact families and those coming from impaired/distressed and divorced families, and no difference was found in emotional well-being between children coming from impaired/distressed and divorced families. Also, no significant interactions were obtained between the variables marital stability and the childs gender or the childs birth order

Developmental psychology · Marital status · Mood · Population · Socioeconomic status · Clinical Psychology · Demography · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Global Socioeconomic and Political Dynamics · Psychology

• Child Well‐Being

  Open Access•Gaëlle Amerijckx, Perrine Humblet et al.•Children & Society•2014

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