The Effects of Parent-adolescent Relationships and Parental Separation on Adolescent Well-Being

This article uses data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to investigate the short-term effects of parental separation on adolescent delinquency and depression. Findings indicate that parent-adolescent relationships prior to marital dissolution moderate the effects of parental separation on adolescent delinquency. The higher adolescents' satisfaction with their relationship with the same-sex parent prior to residential separation the greater their increases in delinquent behavior when they are separated from this parent at Wave 2. These results highlight the importance of interpersonal relationships within the family prior to parental separation. Opposite-sex parents constitute a significant influence on adolescents' depression regardless of family structure. These findings suggest that research on parental influences on children's well-being needs to pay more attention to gender-specific effects.