Environmental or genetic influences, or both could account for the increased risk of divorce among the offspring of separated parents. Previous studies have used covariates to statistically control for confounds, but the present research is the first genetically informed study of the topic. The investigation used the Children of Twins Design with…

The Children-of-Twins design was used to test whether associations between marital conflict frequency and conduct problems can be replicated within the children of discordant twin pairs. A sample of 2,051 children (age 14-39 years) of 1,045 twins was used to estimate the genetic and environmental influences on marital conflict and determine…

In 50 behavior problem children it was found that marital discord, as predicted, was most strongly related to conduct problems in boys, boys and girls perceived parental marital discord with equal and moderate accuracy, and children's feelings of nonacceptance were not significantly related to ratings of marital discord. (Author)

This study employed data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to examine the consequences of marital disruption for youth prospectively. Using a diverse sample of 6,416 youth, we examined pre- and postdisruption group differences among youth in subsequently disrupting and continuously intact homes. We also examined the extent…

Parental divorce is associated with problematic offspring adjustment, but the relation may be due to shared genetic or environmental factors. One way to test for these confounds is to study offspring of twins discordant for divorce. The current analyses used this design to separate the mechanisms responsible for the association between parental…