According to a study of 681 adolescents out of Beijing, China, divorced parents show a greater propensity for highly disengaged or particularly harsh parenting styles, which can have important consequences for their children, especially as it relates to feelings of loneliness. The cross-sectional study, published in Personality and Individual Differences, explored perceived parenting profiles according to dimensions of warmth and control from both parents.
The study’s participants were divided into two groups: 237 individuals from divorced families and 444 individuals from intact families. Children’s perceptions of parental warmth and control were each measured using a questionnaire.
After controlling for age, gender, and socioeconomic status, the authors found a best fit to their data with a four-factor model based on parenting style: those who were low on warmth and control (“disengaged”); high on warmth and low on control (“supportive”); high on warmth and control (“harsh”); and finally, low on warmth and high on control (“highly harsh.”)
Further analysis revealed a significant effect of family structure, such that adolescents from divorced families tended to perceive their parents as being disengaged or highly harsh. Children of intact families, on the other hand, tended to describe their parents as supportive or merely harsh.
It is worth noting that these are the perceptions of children of divorce, and do not necessarily reflect the actual attitudes or actions of the parents. Indeed, it is not unusual for divorce to bring about immense change, with children living predominantly with one or another parent, increased financial burden on both parents, which may result in less availability, and emotional stress which may be inadvertently transferred onto the child. The authors recognize and are careful to mention this caveat.
A second goal of the study was to determine the extent to which parenting style impacted feelings of loneliness among children. Perhaps unsurprisingly, paternal and maternal warmth were both associated with fewer feelings of loneliness, while paternal and maternal control were both associated with greater feelings of loneliness. Further research will be needed to unpack these findings, though. It may be that parental control directly impacts loneliness via restrictions placed on whom the child can frequent and how often, for example, but it’s unclear whether these perceptions are based in reality.
Interestingly, the authors found that narcissistic personality traits actually protect against feelings of loneliness among adolescents in the highly harsh condition. Narcissism is typically viewed in the literature as a maladaptive, antisocial trait. In this case, however, and the particular context of Chinese society and familial traditions, the authors believe it may lead children to seek out and engage in a greater number of social interactions, thus buffering against feelings of loneliness. Of course, these same narcissistic traits may prove maladaptive later in life, and their reinforcement in adolescence as a result of divorce could thus be highly problematic.
The authors note some limitations, including the study’s cross-sectional nature, precluding any conclusions of causality or, importantly, parenting style trajectory. (For example, it may be that disengaged or controlling parents are more prone to divorce as individuals.) Additionally, there are some important differences between Chinese and Western cultures as regards the family unit. “Post-divorce families are perceived as problem-prone and strongly stigmatized,” note the authors, which is typically less true in Western countries.
Divorce impacts all members of a family. During the formative childhood and adolescent years, this can have important long-term consequences. Studies like the present give us a better understanding of just how divorce is experienced by children and may lead to more targeted and effective interventions.
The study, “Disengaged and highly harsh? Perceived parenting profiles, narcissism, and loneliness among adolescents from divorced families,” was published by Xiaoyu Lan in March, 2021.
