The Life Course of Children of Divorce: Marital Disruption and Parental Contact

In a preliminary analysis of data from a nationally representative sample of U.S. children aged 11 to 16 in 1981, the authors examine (1) the incidence of marital disruption in children’s lives; (2) the type of living arrangements children experience following a disruption; and (3) the amount of contact children maintain with the outside parent.