The Divorce Study by Victoria Murray

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The Divorce Study
Victoria Murray
Framingham State University
December 18, 2015

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Abstract
This study was designed to examine the effects of divorce on adult-children and their
adult romantic relationships. Does a divorce between parents have an effect on the adult-
children’s views on their own romantic relationships? The study included 55 students on
a college campus, with the mean age of 22 years old. Participants were asked to fill out a
questionnaire based on trust, commitment, worrying and fighting in their own romantic
relationships. Participants also answered three standardized scales rating trust in romantic
relationships, generalized worry and self-esteem. Results showed no significant support
for the proposed hypotheses.
Keywords: divorce, adult-children, romantic relationships
Introduction:
Divorce does not only affect the two parents; it affects the children as well. “Was
it something I did? If I did not disobey them so much and cause them stress, maybe they
would still be together” are some of the thoughts children may have when their parents’
divorce. Divorce can be difficult to go through especially when it happens as a child and
the child is not quite sure what is actually going on. Divorces can be seen as either a
negative thing or a positive thing. If someone views the divorce as negative, the belief is
that the parents were happy together since no one ever heard them fight. If someone
views it as a positive thing, it can be because the child knew how unhappy the parents
were together and just want them to be happy. Even if it means the child will no longer
live with both of them all the time.
Research suggests that divorce is associated with an increased risk of behavioral,
psychological and academic problems among children (Amato, 2000, 2010; Hetherington

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& Kelly, 2002; Kelly & Emery, 2003). Divorce can be hard on children and adolescents
because they may start to view themselves as lesser and start to dislike who they are as a
person and as a child to the parents. It also results in more trouble with dating, more
cohabitation, greater likelihood of divorce, higher expectations of divorce later in life,
and a decreased desire to have children (Fagan & Churchill, 2012). The Center for
Disease Control, also known as the CDC, collected data on children affected by divorce
until the year 1988, when the number of children affected by the divorce was over
1,044,000. Fagan and Churchill believe that since the total of women divorcing is rising,
the number of children affected has risen as well. However, according to the data
collected in 1988 by the CDC, the rate of divorce in the U.S was at 4.7%, with the
divorce rate per 1,000 population (“Advance Report”, 1988). With research done on more
recent years, the divorce rate has dropped down to 3.2%. This study was done by the
CDC and with the same rate per 1,000 population in 2014. One may also take into
consideration that the marriage rate has also significantly dropped since 1988 with
research done in 2014 to support that. In 1988 the rate of marriage was at 9.7% per 1,000
population (“Marriages and Divorces, 1988). In 2014, the rate of marriage was 6.9% per
1,000 population (National Marriage, 2014). Because women are not getting married,
they cannot legitimately get a divorce. However, this does not mean that for a long period
of time the parents of a child lived together while not technically married and later spilt
up. The spilt between the parents could play a similar role in a child’s views on
relationships because of how similar it is. Since the data is typically found using court
ordered marriage and divorce licenses, it is likely that those forms of relationships are not
included.

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The U.S Census Bureau collects data now on children in the U.S with the
American Community Survey. In 2009, the Census Bureau reported that 47% of children
would reach the age of 17 with an intact married family (Fagan & Zill, 2011). Even at the
age of 17, a divorce between parents may still affect the child and the social skills that
can come from an intact married family.
Meneghan and Parcel (1995) state that the primary effect of divorce is a decline in
the relationship between parent and child. Declines in a relationship with one or both of
the parents may expose the child to negative views on relationships as a whole. Children
from divorced families receive less emotional support, financial assistance and practical
help from their parents (Amato & Booth, 1997). Lack of emotional support may cause
children to seek it from someone else in their life, for example, a romantic partner. Some
children may seek the attention from a partner at a young age, which may also have some
effect on the child’s views on relationships. According to Branch-Harris and Cox from
Southern Illinois University of Carbondale, divorce can affect many things such as the
commitment they may have in future relationships and the attitudes they develop due to
witnessing the parental conflict. Bandura, (1977) had two theories that could relate to
how a parents’ martial quality could influence young adults’ attitudes on divorce. The
two theories are 1) theory of reasoned action and 2) social learning theory (Branch-Harris
& Cox, 2015). Bandura (1977) defines the social learning theory as behavior that is
learned from the environment through the process of observational learning. If a child is
in the stages of developing, this can have an effect on how they view relationships or how
to handle certain situations. If a child grows up watching two people who are supposed to

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love and support each other fight every night, they may start to believe that is how a
relationship should be. Unless the child learns from the divorce in the opposite way, and
takes it as a learning experience of what not to do.
Can there be positive effects on a child during a divorce? A study done by
Amato, Kane and James attempted to evaluate the notion of a “good divorce”. Amato,
Kane and James thought a “good divorce” might protect children from the potential
negative consequences of the divorce. A good divorce would be one where the family
remained almost perfectly intact. Both parents would see their children every day and
continue to be responsible for the emotional, economic and physical needs of the children
(Ahrons, 1994). Even if the parents do not live together after the divorce, if the parents
can get along their children may benefit from that. Social learning or observational
learning can also play a part in the child’s development if the divorce is good. If the
children’s parents rarely fought but still decided to get a divorce, but remained civil after
for the sake of the children it could beneficial. Instead of seeing hate between two people
they care deeply for they see civility and respect. They can learn from this and develop
into caring and respectful people who do not fear commitment or marriage because of the
negative divorce of their parents. However, the study on the “good divorce” could only
provide moderate support for the proposed hypothesis.
Overall, the majority of past research has found that there may be some emotional
effects on children and adults from families of divorce. Every year over 1 million
children are involved in a divorce while they are under the age of 18 (Matthews, n.d).
Matthews also states that half of those children will witness the dissolution of their
parents’ marriage. Research also shows that divorce can have impact on a child’s

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behavior and produce psychological and academic problems. With research on what a
child may be like if the divorce is good, one may say that it depends on how the divorce
goes. Since we as children learn from our parents from the day we are born, it makes
sense that we learn from the experience of the divorce. Parents should not stay together
just because they have children, but if they do want to file for a divorce, the first thing
they should do is be honest with their children. From there, children will learn that
honesty is a key part in relationships. Honesty builds trust, and trust plays an important
role in romantic relationships.
The goal of this study is to further examine the effects a divorce can have on
adult-children romantic relationships. Divorce has impacted the lives of many children in
the U.S and around the world. It is important to study the possible outcomes a divorce
may have on a child for support in their futures, especially in their own romantic
relationships. It was hypothesized that there would be a negative impact on adult-children
from divorced families on their own romantic relationships. Secondly, the age of when
the divorce happens will have a negative impact on the adult-children of divorce.

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Method
Participants
Participants included 55 students (48 women and 7 men) from a state university.
The majority of the participants were seniors (54.5%), juniors (32.7%) and sophomores
(12.7%). The mean age of the participants was 22 years old. 25 participants came from a
family of divorce and 30 participants came from an intact family. Participants were
recruited from psychology classrooms on the campus and were eligible to receive extra
credit in certain psychology classes for participating.
Stimuli
The participants first filled out a demographics sheet which contained questions
on their date of birth, identified gender, their current class standing and if they had any
siblings and how many. It also asked if the participants’ parents were divorced. If
participants came from a divorced family, they were asked to complete three more
questions on their age when their parents got divorced, whom they lived with after the
divorce and if they were diagnosed with any emotional disorders after the divorce. To
examine the participant’s levels of trust, commitment, worrying and fighting a scale was
developed containing questions based on the four factors. Three other standardized scales
were used to analyze the participants’ self-esteem, general worries and their trust in
romantic relationships.
Measures
The Divorce Questionnaire scale was developed for this study to measure trust,
commitment, worrying and fighting in romantic relationships (Murray, 2015). The scale
was rated on a Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The

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scale consisted of 50 items to be answered by participants from both intact families and
divorced families. These questions were considered to be Part A of the study. Several of
the questions were coded as reverse score. As a result of reliability analysis, 7 of the
questions were discarded, making the total 43 questions. The reliability based on
Cronbach’s alpha was α=. 957, which shows a high level of consistency between the
questions in the Divorce Question scale (DQS).
To gather information on just the participants from a divorced family, two
subscales were produced which were considered Part B and Part C of the questionnaire
(Murray, 2015). Part B was the After the Divorce Scale (ADS) with questions based on
their feelings after the divorced happened. Part B contained 9 questions, 2 that were
reverse coded and reliability analysis showed Cronbach’s α=. 684. Part C was the Recent
or Current Relation Scale (RCR), which asked the participants questions on one of their
recent or their current relationship after their parents got divorced. Both scales were rated
on a Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The scale
consisted of 11 questions with 1 question being reverse coded. A reliability test was
conducted and Cronbach’s α=. 873.
Three other standardized scales were used in this study to analyze trust, worry and
self-esteem. The Trust in Close Relationships Scale taken from Rempel, Holmes, &
Zanna, 1985. However, instead of the normal 7-point scale, it was changed to a 5-point
scale to match the rest of the scales. 3 of the questions were coded for reverse scoring and
the reliability analysis showed α=. 861 for the Trust Scale. The Penn State Worry
Questionnaire (PWSQ) is on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to
5 (strongly agree). The PSWQ is comprised of 16 questions, 5 of which were reversed

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coded, based around general worries in life and after reliability analysis was run for the
PSWQ it was found that α=. 949. The third scale found and used in this study was
Rosenberg’s Self Esteem Scale (SES). SES is compiled of 10 questions, 5 that are reverse
coded and on a Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The
scale is used to measure ones’ self-esteem and a reliability test was conducted on the
scale and found α=. 938.
Procedures
Participants were asked to participate in the questionnaire on the Framingham
State University campus inside psychology classrooms. The participants were first told
that the questionnaire was completely voluntary and were not required to participate if
they did not want too. It was then explained that if they did choose to participate in the
questionnaire, they were allowed to omit any questions or withdraw from the whole
process if they felt the need to stop. After reading and signing an informed consent form,
the questionnaire was distributed to each student in no specific order. Once the
participants were done answering the questionnaire, the packets were returned to the
researcher and students were thanked for their time. Students were also offered the
chance to receive extra credit in one psychology course if applicable.
Results
Hypothesis Analysis
In order to examine the effects of divorce could have on an adult-child’s views on
their own romantic relationship an independent t-test was performed. Another
independent t-test was performed to evaluate if the age of the divorce had any effect on
the adult-child’s romantic relationship. The question of whether or not their parents were

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divorced was compared to the DQS questions (except questions 2, 11, 15, 18, 25, 34, 46).
The data proved to be statistically insignificant for those from an intact family (p = .195)
to the hypothesis (refer to Table 1). The data also proved to be statistically insignificant
for those from a family of divorce (p = .180) to the stated hypothesis (refer to Table 1).
Results yielded an insignificant effect on those who were from an intact family or those
who come from a divorced family with the answers to the DQS. Mean scores for those
who come from a family of divorce is 114.36 (SD=35.32) and for those from an intact
family mean score was 103.33 (SD=24.63), (refer to table 2).
For the proposed hypothesis that the age of the child when the divorce occurred
may have an effect on the children’s future adult romantic relationships was also
statistically insignificant. For the group of children 9 years old and younger the data was
insignificant (p = .600), (refer to Table 3). The data for the group of children 10 years and
older was also insignificant (p = .607), (refer to Table 3). For this proposed hypothesis
the participants who were 9 years or younger when the divorce happened, N=12 while the
mean score is 118.33 (SD=42.84), (refer to table 4). The participants who were 10 years
or older during the divorce, N=13, mean score is 110.70 (SD=27.97), (refer to table 4).
Discussion
The focus of the proposed study was to examine further the effects a divorce may
have on an adult-child’s romantic relationships. To examine whether a divorce may lead
to more mistrust in a romantic relationship, as well as worries or concerns for their
partner. The study was also designed to examine whether adults from a divorced family
fight or argue more in their own romantic relationships. The Divorce Study could also be

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used to examine the commitment one may have for their own partner if they come from a
family of divorce.
Divorce of parents can affect a child negatively if the divorce is kept hidden from
them. Children learn behaviors based on observational learning from others around them.
Parents play an important role in a child’s development throughout their life. Literature
review done by Ottaway (2010), states that depending on the age of the children at the
time of the divorce, children are affected in different ways and therefore handle the
divorce differently. It is important to know how the age of a child during a divorce can be
a factor in a child’s development. However, according to Franklin, Janoff-Bulman and
Roberts (1990), the long-term effects of divorce on adults have received little attention.
While analyzing the results, some possible problems were discovered. One issue
that occurred was the number of participants from an intact family compared to the
number of participants from a divorced family. With more people from intact families,
the data could have been skewed more positively. Secondly, the Divorce Questionnaire
Scale was complied with more negative aspects than positive on the four factors in a
romantic relationship. The demographics asked how old the participant was when their
parents divorced. However, after having participants fill out the questionnaire it was
brought to attention that not everyone’s parents may have married. Another issue that was
discovered during the collection process was that not everyone might have been in a
romantic relationship. Questions were based on trust, commitment, worrying and fighting
in romantic relationships. Participants may have understood a question in a different way
than intended. For example, when asked if they worry about their partners’ health and
safety, some participants may have viewed this as a negative thing rather than positive.

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Overall, the findings in this study cannot be concluded as significant to the
hypotheses. However, it can be useful because neither participants from a divorced
family or participants from an intact family had any significant difference. This can be
viewed as a positive thing. One may take into consideration that the children during the
divorce learned from the experience in a positive way to better their own future
relationships. Instead of learning that romantic relationships are full of hardships and
fighting, one may learn to listen to their partner when upset. Obtaining more data from
students who are from a divorced family may lead the study to be further significant with
the proposed hypotheses.
References
Ahrons, C. (1994). The good divorce: Keeping your family together when your marriage
comes apart. New York: HarperCollins.
Amato, P., Kane, J., & James, S. (2011). Reconsidering the “Good Divorce”.
Pennsylvania State University. Oswald Tower, University Park, PA 16803-6207
Amato, P. The Consequences of Divorce for Adults and Children. Journal of Marriage
and Family.2000;62:1269–1287.
Amato, P. Research on divorce: Continuing trends and new developments. Journal of
Marriage and Family. 2010;72:650–666.
Amato, Paul R. & Booth, Alan (1996). A prospective study of divorce and parent-child
relationships. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 58(2), 356-365.
Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Branch-Harris, Cierra and Cox, Amber, "The Effects of Parental Divorce on Young
Adults Attitudes towards Divorce" (2015). Honors Theses. Paper 376.
Fagan, F., and Churchill A, “The Effects of Divorce on Children” (2012). Marriages &
Religion Research Institute.
Fagan, P., & Zill, N, “The Second Annual Index of Family Belonging and Rejection,”
(Washington, D.C.: Marriage and Religion Research Institute, 17 November

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2011).
Franklin, K. M., Janoff-Bulman, R., & Roberts, J. E. (1990). Long-term impact of
parental divorce on optimism and trust: Changes in general assumptions or
narrow beliefs. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59, 743-755.
Hetherington EM, Kelly J. For better or for worse: Divorce reconsidered.
NY: Norton; 2002.
Kelly JB, Emery RE. Children’s Adjustment Following Divorce: Risk and Resilience
Perspectives.Family Relations. 2003;52(4):352–362.
Marriages and Divorces. (2014, December 11). Retrieved December 10, 2015, from
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/
Matthews, D. (n.d.). Long-Term Effects of Divorce on Children. Retrieved December 9,
2015, from https://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/fcs/pdfs/fcs482.pdf
Meneghan, E., & Parcel, L., “Social Sources of Change in Children’s Home
Environments: The Effects of Parental Occupational Experiences and Family
Conditions,” Journal of Marriage and Family 57 (1995): 69-84. 
Meyer TJ, Miller ML, Metzger RL, Borkovec TD: Development and Validation of the
Penn State Worry Questionnaire. Behaviour Research and Therapy 28:487-
495,1990
Monthly Vital Statistics Report, Volume 39, Number 12, supplement 2. Final Data from
NCHS. "Advance Report of Final Divorce Statistics, 1988." "Table
3. Estimated number of children involved in divorces and annulments, average
number of children per decree, and rate per 1,000 children under 18 years of age:
United States, 1950-88." Found at
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/mvsr/supp/mv39_12s2.pdf
National Center for Health Statistics. Advance report Copyright information
of final divorce statistics, 1988. Monthly vital statistics report; VOI 39 no 12,
suppl 2. Hyattsville, Maryland: Public Health Service. 1991.
National Marriage. (2015, November 23). Retrieved December 1, 2015, from
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/marriage_divorce_tables.htm
Ottaway, Amber (2010) "The Impact of Parental Divorce on the Intimate Relationships of
Adult Offspring: A Review of the Literature," Graduate Journal of Counseling
Psychology: Vol. 2: Iss. 1, Article 5. Available at:
http://epublications.marquette.edu/gjcp/vol2/iss1/5

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Rempel, J.K., Holmes, J.G. & Zanna, M.P. (1985). Trust in close relationships., 95-112.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49
Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image.
Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press
Table 1:
Table 2:

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Demographics:
1) Date of Birth:
2) Identified Gender:
3) Current class standing:
4) Do you have siblings? If yes, how many?
Yes / No
#:____________
5) Are your parents divorced?
Yes / No
 If you answered YES to question 5 please continue to questions 6, 7 and 8.
 If you answered NO, please move on to Part A of the questionnaire.
6) How old were you when your parents got divorced?
_______________________________
7) Which parent did you live with after the divorce? If you lived with neither, please
answer “other”.
___________________________________
8) Have you been diagnosed with any emotional disorders after the divorce? If yes,
please state diagnoses below.
Yes / No :
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

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General Questionnaire:
Directions: Using the scale below please answer each statement most appropriate to
yourself.
1- Strongly Disagree 2- Disagree 3- Neutral 4- Agree 5- Strongly Agree
Part A:
1. I worry when my partner goes
out.
1 2 3 4 5
2. I listen to what my partner is
upset about.
1 2 3 4 5
3. I worry my partner is cheating on
me.
1 2 3 4 5
4. I worry I overprotect my partner. 1 2 3 4 5
5. I tend to ask my partner a lot of
questions.
1 2 3 4 5
6. I worry I will end up divorced. 1 2 3 4 5
7. I worry if my partner is telling
me the truth.
1 2 3 4 5
8. I would prefer if my partner
would stay home.
1 2 3 4 5
9. I feel unsafe when I fight with
my partner.
1 2 3 4 5
10. My partner and I fight over even
the smallest things.
1 2 3 4 5
11. I talk to my partner every day. 1 2 3 4 5
12. I am able to give my partner
personal space.
1 2 3 4 5
13. I ignore what my partner is upset
about.
1 2 3 4 5
14. I can tell my partner anything. 1 2 3 4 5
15. I am loyal to my partner. 1 2 3 4 5

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16. The fights with my partner last
hours.
1 2 3 4 5
17. I don’t send romantic texts to
anyone other than my partner.
1 2 3 4 5
18. I have concerns for my partners’
safety and health.
1 2 3 4 5
19. I worry I will not spend the rest
of my life with my partner.
1 2 3 4 5
20. My partner and I fight over
important life decisions.
1 2 3 4 5
21. I feel worthless after fights with
my partner.
1 2 3 4 5
22. I find myself questioning why I
am with my partner.
1 2 3 4 5
23. I worry I will lose my partner. 1 2 3 4 5
24. I easily forgive my partner. 1 2 3 4 5
25. I find myself fantasizing about
my future with my partner.
1 2 3 4 5
26. My partner and I fight in person. 1 2 3 4 5
27. The fights with my partner
typically involve yelling.
1 2 3 4 5
28. I have concerns about who I am
dating.
1 2 3 4 5
29. I worry about my life with my
partner.
1 2 3 4 5
30. I do not trust my partner. 1 2 3 4 5
31. I worry I will end up alone. 1 2 3 4 5
32. I find myself flirting with others. 1 2 3 4 5

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33. I find myself wanting to see
someone else.
1 2 3 4 5
34. My partner and I can quickly
resolve fights.
1 2 3 4 5
35. I am typically the one
apologizing.
1 2 3 4 5
36. I worry I am settling by staying
with my partner.
1 2 3 4 5
37. I stop doing certain things to
avoid fights.
1 2 3 4 5
38. My partner and I fight every day. 1 2 3 4 5
39. I get jealous when my partner
gives attention to others.
1 2 3 4 5
40. I find myself going through my
partner’s private stuff, such as
their phone, without their
permission.
1 2 3 4 5
41. I usually start the fights with my
partner.
1 2 3 4 5
42. I worry I put my partners needs
before mine.
1 2 3 4 5
43. I want to spend the majority of
my free time with my partner.
1 2 3 4 5
44. I get jealous when my partner
receives attention from others.
1 2 3 4 5
45. I worry I will never love
someone.
1 2 3 4 5
46. I feel I am fully committed to the
person I am in a relationship
with.
1 2 3 4 5
47. I worry I will not be able to stay
faithful to my partner.
1 2 3 4 5

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48. My partner and I fight over the
phone.
1 2 3 4 5
49. I worry I am not what my partner
wants.
1 2 3 4 5
50. I worry my partner does not
share their feelings with me.
1 2 3 4 5
Part B and Part C, are for those students who come from a family of divorce. If you are
not from a family of divorce, please move onto the Trust Scale on page 8. If you are
from a family of divorce, please continue to answer Part B and Part C.
yourself.
Part B:
After the divorce…
1. I felt loved by both my parents. 1 2 3 4 5
2. I questioned if love really exists. 1 2 3 4 5
3. I blame myself for my parents
getting divorced.
1 2 3 4 5
4. I blame my parents for the divorce. 1 2 3 4 5
5. I blame no one for the divorce. 1 2 3 4 5
6. I questioned my self-worth. 1 2 3 4 5
7. I often felt guilty for spending more
time with one parent over the other.
1 2 3 4 5
8. I felt abandoned by one of my
parents after the divorce.
1 2 3 4 5
9. I felt abandoned by both of my
parents after the divorce.
1 2 3 4 5
Part C:
Considering a recent romantic relationship or your current one to answer the following
promptly…
10. I find myself taking the blame to
avoid fights with my partner.
1 2 3 4 5
11. I feel the need to be with someone
romantically.
1 2 3 4 5

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12. I find it hard to trust my partner with
my feelings.
1 2 3 4 5
13. I fear commitment to a partner. 1 2 3 4 5
14. I am hesitant when it comes to
dating.
1 2 3 4 5
15. I question if I am good enough for
my partner.
1 2 3 4 5
16. I worry I will get hurt emotionally by
my partner.
1 2 3 4 5
17. I question my ability to love my
partner romantically.
1 2 3 4 5
18. I worry I will end up in a bad
relationship.
1 2 3 4 5
19. I put my partners’ feelings before
mine.
1 2 3 4 5
20. I have confidence I will find the right person. 1 2 3 4 5

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Trust Questionnaire
Instructions: Using the scale below please answer each statement most appropriate to
yourself.
1. My partner has proven to be trustworthy
and I am willing to let him/her engage in
activities which other partners find
threatening.
1 2 3 4 5
2. Even when I don’t know how my partner
will react, I feel comfortable telling
him/her anything about myself, even
those things of which I am ashamed.
1 2 3 4 5
3. Though times may change and the future
is uncertain, I know my partner will
always be ready and willing to offer me
strength and support.
1 2 3 4 5
4. I am never certain that my partner
won’t do something that I dislike or
will embarrass me.
1 2 3 4 5
5. My partner is very unpredictable. I never
know how he/she is going to act from
one day to the next.
1 2 3 4 5
6. I feel very comfortable when my
partner has to make decisions, which
will affect me personally.
1 2 3 4 5
7. I have found that my partner is
unusually dependable, especially
when it comes to things, which are
important to me.
1 2 3 4 5
8. My partner behaves in a very
consistent manner.
1 2 3 4 5
9. Whenever we have to make an
important decision in a situation we
have never encountered before, I
know my partner will be concerned
about my welfare.
1 2 3 4 5
10. Even if I have no reason to expect my
partner to share things with me, I still
feel certain that he/she will.
1 2 3 4 5

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yourself.
11. I can rely on my partner to react in a
positive way when I expose my
weaknesses to him/her.
1 2 3 4 5
12. When I share my problems with my
partner, I know he/she will respond in
a loving way even before I say
anything.
1 2 3 4 5
13. I am certain that my partner would not
cheat on me, even if the opportunity
arose and there was no chance he/she
would get caught.
1 2 3 4 5
14. I sometimes avoid my partner because
he/she is unpredictable and I fear
saying or doing something, which
might create conflict.
1 2 3 4 5
15. I can rely on my partner to keep the
promises he/she makes to me.
1 2 3 4 5
16. When I am with my partner, I feel
secure in facing unknown new
situations.
1 2 3 4 5
17. Even when my partner makes excuses,
which sound rather unlikely, I am
confident that he/she is telling the
truth.
1 2 3 4 5

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PSWQ
yourself.
1. If I do not have enough time to do
everything, I do not worry about it.
1 2 3 4 5
2. My worries overwhelm me. 1 2 3 4 5
3. I do not tend to worry about things. 1 2 3 4 5
4. Many situations make me worry. 1 2 3 4 5
5. I know I should not worry about things,
but I just cannot help it.
1 2 3 4 5
6. When I am under pressure I worry a lot. 1 2 3 4 5
7. I am always worrying about something. 1 2 3 4 5
8. I find it easy to dismiss worrisome
thoughts.
1 2 3 4 5
9. As soon as I finish one task, I start to
worry about everything else I have to do.
1 2 3 4 5
10. I never worry about anything. 1 2 3 4 5
11. When there is nothing more I can do
about a concern, I do not worry about it
anymore.
1 2 3 4 5
12. I have been a worrier all my life. 1 2 3 4 5
13. I notice that I have been worrying
about things.
1 2 3 4 5
14. Once I start worrying, I cannot stop. 1 2 3 4 5
15. I worry all the time. 1 2 3 4 5
16. I worry about projects until they are
all done.
1 2 3 4 5

26
SES
yourself.
1. On the whole, I am satisfied with
myself.
1 2 3 4 5
2. At times I think I am no good at all. 1 2 3 4 5
3. I feel that I have a number of good
qualities.
1 2 3 4 5
4. I am able to do things as well as most
other people.
1 2 3 4 5
5. I feel I do not have much to be proud
of.
1 2 3 4 5
6. I certainly feel useless at times. 1 2 3 4 5
7. I feel that I’m a person of worth, at
least on an equal plane with others.
1 2 3 4 5
8. I wish I could have more respect for
myself.
1 2 3 4 5
9. All in all, I am inclined to feel that I am
a failure.
1 2 3 4 5
10. I take a positive attitude toward
myself.
1 2 3 4 5

Running Head: The Divorce Study
Dear Student,
Thank you for your support in my research on the impact of divorce on adult-
children romantic relationships. “There is no doubt that a failed marriage has a profound
effect on children, but a common misconception is the assumption that children of
divorce are more likely to divorce because they are less committed to marriage”
(Wallerstein et al. 1984, p.197). Just because you may have come from a family with
divorced parents does not mean you are going to get divorced when you are older.
Wallerstein believes that if you are a child from divorce, when you are older and in your
own relationship you will have a better understanding of what a healthy and loving
relationship should be. If you have any concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to
come ask me. Because this topic can be sensitive to people, I feel it is important for you
to know that divorce can be a part of life. After taking this questionnaire, I want you to
know it is normal to have feelings of concern or doubt. Everyone is different even if we
experience the same life events. Know you are not alone, and there are people you can
talk too for guidance and support.
Thank You,
Victoria Murray

The Divorce Study by Victoria Murray

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