ABSTRACT
This report explores the question of why some families seem more vulnerable than others. Based on findings from their longitudinal studies, both Furstenberg (1988) and Hetherington, Cox, and Cox (1985) assert that the majority of children of divorced families do not seem to have significant adjustment problems. Our general thesis is that antisocial parents are at significantly greater risk for a variety of problems, such as unskilled parenting practices and stressful life events (e.g., marital transitions and unemployment). In keeping with the perspective provided by the coercion model (Patterson, 1982), the disrupting effects of negative life events may exacerbate the poor parenting practices. The nature of this vulnerability is explored utilizing both cross-sectional and longitudinal data.
