Adult children of divorce: Relationships with their mothers and fathers prior to, following parental separation, and currently

Female and male adult children of divorce (ACDs) provided retrospective ratings of their relationships with their mothers and fathers prior to and after parental separation, and also evaluated their current relationships with each parent. Pre-, post-separation and current relationships with mothers were more positively evaluated than those with fathers. Post-separation ratings of relationships with each parent were lower than those obtained on pre-separation scales, with some recovery evidenced on current relationship scales. The critical importance of parental cooperation, particularly for ACDs' relationships with their fathers, was especially indicated by the present findings. A positive relationship with one parent was also found to have contributed in a negative fashion to ACDs' positive evaluations of their relationship with their other parent following separation. Research utilizing a longitudinal approach is suggested in order to further examine the differential qualities of ACDs' ongoing relationships with each of their parents.