The Long-Term Outcomes of Parental Separation on Children’s Subjective Well-Being: The Role of Conflict and Post-Separation Family Arrangements

Raffaele Guetto, University of Florence
Giulia Feltrin , University of Florence
Elena Pirani, University of Florence
Daniele Vignoli, University of Florence

A large body of research has consistently documented that children of separated parents fare worse than children growing up in intact families across multiple domains, including subjective well-being (SWB). Understanding the long-term consequences of parental separation requires considering the pathways through which it may affect children’s lives, such as exposure to interparental conflict, the organization of post-separation custody, and the introduction of stepparents and half-siblings into the family, and how these factors interact with each other in determining children’s adjustment following parental breakup. This study examines how experiencing parental separation during childhood or adolescence relates to young adults’ SWB, while also taking into account the moderating role of interparental conflict and post-separation family reconfiguration for children’s outcomes. The analysis will rely on newly collected survey data specifically designed to investigate the determinants and consequences of parental separation and family complexity. The sample includes 11,542 Italian young adults, aged 25-39. Importantly, the availability of rich information on multiple moderating factors provides a unique opportunity to disentangle their independent effects, allowing for a more comprehensive understanding of the long-term implications of family transitions for children’s well-being and extending evidence for the Italian context, where empirical research on these dynamics remains limited.

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 Presented in Session 119. Child Custody and Children's Outcomes