An Exploration of the Relationship Between Divorce and Children of Divorce’s Romantic Relationships in Adulthood

Divorce is a common occurrence in around 50% of marital relationships, and has profound effects on children born within those unions, particularly in their adult, romantic relationships. In this literature review, I compiled 12 sources from three journals in order to explore the relationship between divorce and children’s romantic relationships in the future. Primarily, findings indicated two major outcomes for children of divorce: lack of respect for the institution of marriage and also a lower level of commitment to their romantic partners. Both of these in turn impact their current and future relationships by lowering their overall satisfaction and investment in the relationships’ current and future statuses. Additionally, this paper will explore how the amount of conflict in a union impacts offspring in comparison to divorce in general. This paper uses primarily qualitative data, so more research could be done with discrete data in order to be more well-rounded. However, all data surrounding this subject is relevant because it helps us better understand the effects of divorce and treat its symptoms without unnecessary complication.