The impact of Post-Divorce Parental Conflict on Adolescents’ Self-Esteem: An Examination of the Role of Parent-Child Relationship Quality

Abstract

Background: A large body of research shows that post-divorce parental conflict can have major consequences for children’s well-being, including lower self-esteem. A positive parent-child relationship has in addition shown to positively affect children’s self-esteem and serve as a buffer. However, the longitudinal effects of post-divorce parental conflict on adolescents’ self-esteem and the role of the parent-child relationship, have received less attention. Adolescent self-esteem post-divorce is important to examine, because suffering from low self-esteem can have a detrimental impact on one’s life. Aim: The current study investigated the relationship between post-divorce parental conflict and adolescents’ self-esteem, and examined the possible moderating role of parent-child relationship quality. Could the parent-child relationship serve as a buffer for the negative consequences of post-divorce parental conflict on adolescents’ self-esteem. Method: 132 children completed questionnaires to examine the associations between post-divorce parental conflict (CBQ), self-esteem (CBSK-A) and parent-child relationship quality (CBQ), and to examine parent-child relationship quality as a potential moderator. Two multiple regression analyses were conducted to answer the research questions. Results: Post-divorce parental conflict was positively associated with a relative change in adolescents’ self-esteem. Moreover, parent-child relationship quality was not significantly associated with adolescents’ self-esteem and did not moderate the association between parental conflict and self-esteem. Discussion: The importance of examining the development of children’s self-esteem post-divorce was confirmed by previous research. Further research is needed to assess possible explanations for the unexpected positive association between post-divorce parental conflict and relative change in adolescents’ self-esteem.