This article examines the intervening pathways linking parental divorce with adolescent depression, using both cross-sectional and prospective data from a study of high school students in the Boston metropolitan area. Overall, findings reveal that parental divorce is linked with adolescent depression in two ways: (1) it is a source of numerous secondary problems and stresses that are causally related to depression, and (2) it alters youths' reactivity to these stresses, in some cases enhancing, but in other cases mitigating, their depressive effects. Analyses demonstrated the central role of economic hardship in linking family status with depression, with the strength of this indirect pathway partly attributable to the greater vulnerability of youths in single-parent families to financial stresses. In contrast, family conflict did not account for the distress of youths in single-parent families, largely because of their immunity to the effects of such conflict. Finally, prospective data failed to support the hypothesis that differences between youths in single-parent and intact families predate the divorce.
Kraft AJ, Luecken LJ. Kraft AJ, et al. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2009 Oct;34(9):1363-9. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2009.04.008. Epub 2009 May 13. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2009. PMID: 19442451
Richardson S, McCabe MP. Richardson S, et al. Adolescence. 2001 Fall;36(143):467-89. Adolescence. 2001. PMID: 11817629
Palosaari U, Aro H. Palosaari U, et al. Adolescence. 1994 Fall;29(115):681-90. Adolescence. 1994. PMID: 7832032
Purper-Ouakil D, Michel G, Mouren-Siméoni MC. Purper-Ouakil D, et al. Encephale. 2002 May-Jun;28(3 Pt 1):234-40. Encephale. 2002. PMID: 12091784 Review. French.
Luecken LJ, Lemery KS. Luecken LJ, et al. Clin Psychol Rev. 2004 May;24(2):171-91. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2004.01.003. Clin Psychol Rev. 2004. PMID: 15081515 Review.
Kim JK, Arpawong TE, Klopack ET, Crimmins EM. Kim JK, et al. J Popul Ageing. 2024 Jun;17(2):297-313. doi: 10.1007/s12062-023-09434-5. Epub 2023 Oct 31. J Popul Ageing. 2024. PMID: 39131698 Free PMC article.
Karhina K, Bøe T, Hysing M, Nilsen SA. Karhina K, et al. BMC Public Health. 2023 Nov 29;23(1):2364. doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-17307-x. BMC Public Health. 2023. PMID: 38031009 Free PMC article.
Sangeet O, Singh S. Sangeet O, et al. J Family Med Prim Care. 2022 Jul;11(7):3790-3794. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_2455_21. Epub 2022 Jul 22. J Family Med Prim Care. 2022. PMID: 36387623 Free PMC article.
Ong HS, Fernandez PA, Lim HK. Ong HS, et al. Singapore Med J. 2021 May;62(5):213-219. doi: 10.11622/smedj.2021057. Singapore Med J. 2021. PMID: 34409463 Free PMC article.
Piechaczek CE, Pehl V, Feldmann L, Haberstroh S, Allgaier AK, Freisleder FJ, Schulte-Körne G, Greimel E. Piechaczek CE, et al. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2020 Feb 8;14:6. doi: 10.1186/s13034-020-0312-1. eCollection 2020. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2020. PMID: 32055255 Free PMC article.