Family Legacies: The Impact of Divorce on Grandchildren
Vaughn Call,
Sociology
In this study we examine how separation, divorce, and remarriage may impact children across the life-course, with an emphasis on the consequences of divorce on the fourth generation (the grandchildren). We assess the grandchildren's psychological well-being, marital relations, socioeconomic achievement, relations with parents and grandparents, their overall economic and social well-being, and their current social and marital relationships. We will gather data from about 5,000 grandchildren and compare outcomes for grandchildren whose parents, grandparents or great-grandparents went through a divorce with those grandchildren who did not have a divorce in their family. With these data that include information on the respondent's parents, grandparents and great grandparents, we will be able to examine the antecedents and impacts of divorce across four generations.
