Woonsituatie na Scheiding en Loyaliteitsproblemen van Jongens en Meisjes

Abstract

Background: The number of children going through a parental divorce or separation has been consistently high in the Netherlands since several decades. One of the most frequently cited problems after divorce concerns their loyalty. As parents increasingly opt for co-parent families after a divorce, in which care for and contact with their children is more or less evenly divided, it was worthwhile to include the role of the living situation in children’s loyalty problems. In addition, it is important to chart the differences in the degree of loyalty problems between boys and girls. Aim: The current study examined whether the living situation after parental divorce plays a role in the loyalty problems of children, and whether there are gender differences. Method: 443 children from divorced parents, from age 12 to 17, participated in the study ‘Students and Families 2013’ [Scholieren & Gezinnen 2013]. They reported on their living situation and the degree of loyalty problems. Analyses of variance were used to answer the research questions. Results: First, no significant difference was found in children’s degree of loyalty problems across the living situations. However, the subgroup ‘always with dad’ report slightly higher on the degree of loyalty problems, but not significant. Secondly, loyalty problems after divorce did not significantly differ across gender. The two-way ANOVA showed that loyalty problems did not depend on a combination of postdivorce living situation and gender either. Although no significant differences were found, there was a clear trend toward less loyalty problems in children growing up in co-parenting situation in which they had regular contact with both parents. Further, girls reported higher levels of loyalty problems compared to boys in all living conditions except co-parenting. Conclusion: The living situation in itself doesn’t play a role in the degree of loyalty problems of children. Implications to include other factors in future research have been discussed.