Paths of influence of divorce on preschool children's psychosocial adjustment

This study examined the direct and indirect influences of parental divorce on preschool children's psychosocial adjustment through its effect on maternal strain, family socioeconomic status, the quality of the family's interpersonal relationships, and mother-child interaction. Participants included 198 married (n = 99) and divorced (n = 99), predominantly White, lower- to middle-income families with preschool children. Analyses using structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated that family structure and processes in combination most strongly influenced child outcomes. Specifically, the effects of divorce on children's adjustment were mediated by maternal strain and the quality of mother-child interaction. The goodness-of-fit indices (.90 to .94), root mean square error of approximation index (.03), and nonsignificant chi-square (p = .12) indicated a good fit for the generated structural equation model.