The Effect of Divorce on Parent-Child Contacts. Evidence on Two Declining Effect Hypotheses

Previous studies on divorce have found consistent empirical evidence that a negative association exists between marital disruption and children’s wellbeing, life chances and intergenerational relations. However, there are relatively few studies on the long-term effect of divorce on parent-child contacts. Furthermore, contemporary research is confronted with two declining effect hypotheses. Firstly, it has been argued that the negative effects of divorce may possibly decrease as children’s age at time of divorce increases; secondly, it has been suggested that the consequences of divorce might be less severe the more frequent marriage dissolution is in a society. By using data from Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and France from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, we analyze the existing relation between parents’ divorce and the intensity of parent-child contacts. Furthermore, we provide some empirical evidence on the two declining effect hypotheses. Our findings show that divorce has long-term negative effects on the intensity of intergenerational relations. The results do not provide any evidence in favor of either the individual or the collective declining effect hypothesis.