ABSTRACT
Family relationships do not disappear when a marriage ends in separation or divorce. Divorce does not dissolve the family; it reorganizes it from a one-home structure to a two-home structure. Parental functioning and the ability of parents to interact with each other greatly influence a child’s adjustment. It is how parents navigate the separation of the family that colors the impact of divorce on the children. Parental interaction characterized by hostility and conflict is the single most common cause of poor adjustment in children following a divorce (Garrity and Baris, 1994; Hess and Camara, 1979; Mnookin, 1992; Wallerstein, 1989). It places a greater strain on a child’s development than any other single factor in divorce. Therefore, for the sake of their children, divorcing parents must continue to interact with their former spouses in matters of child rearing. Ultimately, divorcing parents need to learn to parent in a two-household structure that emphasizes collaboration and a focus on the children.
