ABSTRACT
As the divorce rate soared dramatically in the past 2 decades, provoking concern about the quality of family life in the United States, social scientists directed their efforts toward understanding the impact of divorce on children and adults. The focus of much of the early research involved static notions of out comes, with research designs contrasting individuals in divorced and non divorced families at one point in time. As scientific inquiry has progressed, researchers have recognized the necessity of studying families as they move through various transitions following divorce. Methodological and theoretical advances have given researchers new skills and models to tackle the formidable complexities involved in these multiple family transitions (Furstenberg, Nord, Peterson, & Zill, 1983; Hetherington & Camara, 1984).
