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The present study investigates the structural boundaries of the divorced single-parent family system and subsystems and the relationships between these and children's emotional, social, and academic functioning. The subjects were 189 children (95 of intact and 94 of divorced families) and their mothers (60 married and 58 divorced). Three tests were used to assess family boundaries: Boundary Ambiguity Scale (BAS), Kvebaek Family Sculpture Technique (KFST); and Family Drawing Test (FDT). California Test of Personality (CTP) was used to assess the children's levels of emotional and social adjustment. Their academic achievements were evaluated by the children's grades in English, Hebrew, and mathematics. The results show that the majority of children of divorced families and about half of their mothers still include their fathers in their family systems. The results also reveal that both these children and their mothers perceive their family subsystems as less hierarchically distinguished than do the corresponding groups from intact families. In addition, the findings show that neither the mothers' characteristics nor the subjects' perceptions of their family boundaries predict the emotional, social, and academic functioning of the children. These and the other results are discussed in relation to their implications for family system theory and the cybernetic model. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HA WORTH. E-mail address: Website: KEYWORDS. Children of divorce, single-parent families, divorced family structure

The purpose of the study was to develop and test a conceptual model, based on microstructural theory, that explained how sex of parent, economic strain, role coping, and parental control combined to predict the parenting behaviors of divorced custodial mothers and fathers. The sample consisted of 30 single mothers and 30 single fathers with custody of at least one child 6 to 10 years of age. The data were collected using standardized questionnaires that were administered during a two-hour interview in the respondents' homes. Results of a path analysis revealed that the higher economic strain of custodial mothers contributed to impaired role-coping strategies and loss of parental control, which ultimately interfered with parenting. These findings explain why low income has a pervasive negative effect on family functioning. Implications for family practice and policy are discussed.

To compare verbal non-conflict interactions among parents and children in both single- and two-parent homes, dinnertime conversation for 82 families was analyzed. It was learned that conversation in the single parent homes was characterized by fewer talk turns and less parental input. The conversation in father custody dinners was more focused on the concrete exchange of dinnertime materials than either of the other households. Girls spoke more than did boys, and mothers were more active in conversation than were fathers in each comparison group.

The paper addresses two subjective dimensions of divorced mothers in Israel: how they evaluate their lifestyle and how they perceive society's evaluation of the same lifestyle. One hundred divorced mothers were randomly sampled from 1,000 members of the center for single parent families in Haifa. Main findings indicate personal attitudes toward one-parent lifestyle were more positive than perceived social evaluations. Three types of resources facilitated positive evaluations: economic well-being, employment, and self-esteem. The findings imply that not only the divorced mothers but the Israeli public at large seems to be in a state of transition with reference to unconventional family patterns. On the one hand, one-parent families are no longer seen as deviant yet this lifestyle has not gained full recognition as a long-term family pattern.

The present study focuses on the variables affecting the personal well-being of the father-headed family. In order to conduct the research, we developed a methodology that encompassed 103 heads of single-parent families raising their children themselves (62 divorced fathers and 41 divorced mothers). The analysis of the data from father- and mother-headed families indicates that there are no differences between the two groups with respect to well-being. The relationships between the variables were formulated into a causal model designed to forecast well-being. The research findings show that among all groups, an androgynous concept of the sex role and a problem-oriented coping style (in that order) contribute to personal well-being. In addition, the model indicates the importance of the economic situation for well-being. Additional variables that comprise well-being derive from areas connected with the role each type of family head fills in society. Contemporary society views a woman-headed single-parent family as normative; consequently, it offers social support similar to that usually offered to women in other crisis situations. On the other hand, male single-parent family heads are still viewed as an anomaly, and therefore do not receive such support. Instead, their well-being derives from other variables: the fewer children they have and the less hostile they feel towards their former spouse, the greater their well-being.

Research on 12 single-parent families who defined themselves as successful revealed that 'the deficit theory,' which believes that single-parent families are bound to have problems, is not always true. The families interviewed expressed optimism about their lives while candidly admitting their failures. The characteristics which were associated with successful two-parent families were also found in single-parent families. The researchers interviewed the families for two hours and all the parents were white, female, divorced for at least three years and had at least one child with them.

The authors used ecological theory to disentangle the effects of gender, family structure, and role responsibilities on parenting and children's behavior in single-parent and intact families. Data were gathered from parents and a focal child in 30 single-mother, 30 single-father, and 30 intact families. The Parent Perception Inventory (PPI) and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) were used to evaluate how positive and negative behaviors of parents and internalizing and externalizing behaviors of the children differed across the three family structures. Significant differences were found between single-parent and intact families for both parenting and children's behavior. The researchers determined that role responsibilities and family structure are more important than gender in explaining parenting and child behavior following divorce.

This study builds upon past research which has examined tire effects of divorce on tile academic achievement of children living in single-parent families. This study uses the NELS 1988 and 1992 data sets to examine the effects of children of divorce living with neither parent. As America has increased in its diversity of family structures, children of divorce from neither-parent families have become more common. Yet there is almost no research dealing with the effects of divorce for children who end up in neither-parent families. The results of this study indicate that children of divorce from neither-parent families perform more poorly than their counterparts in either divorced single-parent families or intact families. Although controlling for SES reduces the effects for children of divorce living with neither parent, most of tire effects remain statistically significant even with the inclusion of tire SES variables, especially for the twelfth grade students. The possible reasons for this academic performance are discussed. KEYWORDS. Divorce, single parent families, family structure, family, academic achievement, education