Deck 8: Divorce Variation and Fluidity

Question 1

Which two components are part of the DVFM?

A) variability and fluidity
B) resilience and growth
C) alienation and separation
D) deficits and additions

Answer 1

A

Question 2

In the DVFM model, fluidity means ______.

A) the vast difference in experience and adjustment that parents and children have in the divorce process
B) the change in economic conditions as people divorce
C) the change in living conditions (neighborhoods, schools) that families experience as the result of divorce
D) the change in individual adjustment over time

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The DVFM model is a ______.

A) process model that takes a contextual approach to demonstrate the highly dynamic nature of the divorce process
B) linear model that looks at pre- and postdivorce functioning
C) process model that demonstrates the stability of factors associated with divorce
D) model that seeks to explain the impact of divorce on parents

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which factors below are important to understanding the relationship between resilience and divorce?

A) age and race
B) level of family support and alternative support systems
C) risk and protective factors
D) predisruptive dynamic and postdisruption dynamic

Question 5

The difference between a risk factor and a risk mechanism is that ______.

A) a risk factor is a single event, while a risk mechanism is a series of events
B) a risk factor is variable and constantly changing, while a risk mechanism is stable over a long period of time
C) a risk factor cancels out a protective factor, while a risk mechanism is a process of adaptation
D) a risk factor increases the likelihood of undesirable outcomes, while risk mechanisms are the processes that lead to adjustment difficulties

Question 6

______ and ______ are two of several demographic risk factors associated with divorce.

A) Being white; being middle-aged when you marry
B) Being young at the time of marriage; having divorced parents
C) Being Asian; being educated
D) Being African American; living in rural areas

Question 7

There is often a difference between what has really happened to cause a divorce and what is reported because ______.

A) people don't want to share personal information about a private matter
B) women and men have such divergent reasoning that the reality of the divorce is distorted
C) people are often in denial about their divorce
D) peoples' subjective views are different than researchers' empirical investigations identify

Question 8

Amy's parents divorced over the summer, and Amy is struggling academically and socially in school. Factors that may impact her adjustment might include ______.

A) how her family interacts postdivorce
B) whether she is LGBTQ
C) where her family lives
D) whether her friends have experienced divorce

Question 9

The economic costs of divorce are such that ______.

A) due to economic inequality, it is hard to say who fares better, women or men
B) women and children suffer financially, while men enjoy a better financial situation
C) women and men fare equally because of the child support paid to the custodial parent
D) men fare worse because typically they have to pay child support

Question 10

In a clinical study of patients at a mental health clinic, it was shown that divorce was highly associated with suicide attempts and concluded that divorce may predict suicide attempts. Which of the statements below identifies a major flaw with this study?

A) It is not a longitudinal design.
B) The subjects are not appropriate for a study on divorce.
C) The study is based on a clinical sample, so it is not generalizable.
D) The study's claims are too limited in scope.

Question 11

What enhances resilience following divorce?

A) a lower ratio of risk factors to risk processes
B) a higher ratio of protective factors to risk factors
C) mediating stressor pileup
D) self-reliance and optimism

Question 12

In terms of race and gender, ______.

A) White women receive more social support postdivorce
B) White women receive the most financial support postdivorce
C) African American women receive more social support postdivorce
D) White men receive more emotional support postdivorce

Question 13

Most children and adolescents experience adjustment difficulties (pre and postdivorce) for ______.

A) 2-4 years
B) 3-5 years
C) 3-6 months
D) 1-2 years

Question 14

There appears to be substantial variability in children's outcomes following divorce. Most variations in children's outcomes are attributed to ______.

A) protective factors pre and postdivorce
B) the length of time the parents were married
C) who the child lives with postdivorce
D) the child's age

Question 15

A consistent problem confronting children following divorce is ______.

A) their parents' continued fighting
B) prolonged economic hardship
C) difficulty establishing long-term relationships
D) establishing a new group of friends

Question 16

Another factor that impacts a child's adjustment is ______.

A) the cumulative effects of multiple transitions
B) children's need to know all the information
C) parents protecting children from information
D) the family's culture

Question 17

Multiple divorces tend to be ______.

A) quite rare
B) quite common
C) associated with suicide attempts
D) associated with greater negative impact on parents than children

Question 18

Which of the following statements about parenting education programs is most accurate?

A) Parenting education programs are typically evaluated as highly effective.
B) Parenting education programs are typically evaluated as highly ineffective.
C) Parenting education programs are not consistently evaluated.
D) Parenting education programs are typically evaluated as moderately effective.

Question 19

Critics of divorce mediation have suggested that ______.

A) although mediation has its drawbacks, it is always better than litigation
B) mediation is costly and has been shown to be ineffective
C) mediation focuses on the needs of the children rather than the family
D) gender-based power imbalances prejudice the process

Question 20

DVFM recognizes that family transitions during and following divorce play a critical role in shaping life trajectories, developmental change, and postdivorce adjustment. What perspective does this align with?

A) life course perspective
B) change-adjustment perspective
C) ecological systems perspective
D) transitions perspective

Question 21

Gerstel (1990) found that compared to childless women, divorced mothers experienced ______ after a divorce.

A) better financial standing
B) harsher disapproval
C) less judgment
D) longer lasting depression

Question 22

According to research, which of the following reasons helps explain why women are typically financially worse off following a divorce?

A) Fathers are unable to financially support two households.
B) Women use credit cards more following divorce.
C) Fathers do not comply with child support awards.
D) Women quit paid work to qualify for more child support.

Question 23

The Fragile Families Study found that the ______ was negatively associated with children's socioemotional, cognitive, and behavioral outcomes.

A) absence of child support
B) frequency of fathers' partnership transitions
C) moving away from the noncustodial parent
D) frequency of mothers' partnership transitions

Question 24

What is the main research focus of the divorce variation and fluidity model?

A) understanding divorce as a normal transition
B) understanding why women are more negatively impacted by divorce
C) understanding variation in response to the challenges posed by divorce
D) understanding racial and ethnic variation in divorce patterns

Question 25

Since the late 1980s, the divorce rate has ______.

A) risen
B) remained comparable
C) fallen
D) not been calculated

Question 26

Family members experience and adjust to divorce in relatively similar ways.

Question 27

Most children do not develop clinically significant social, emotional, and academic problems as the result of a divorce.

Question 28

Divorce rates have steadily increased from the 1950s to the present time.

Question 29

There is no difference between how women and men fare financially following a divorce.

Question 30

Women and men involved in relationships with new partners adjust better to the divorce.

Question 31

Divorce appears to be more stressful for women, but research indicates that it may be a short-term crisis as many women feel that their postdivorce situation is preferable to their married life.

Question 32

Corina is 3 years old, and her parents divorced a year ago. She is still struggling at times, being clingy with her parents and extra whiny at bedtimes. This is abnormal for postdivorce adjustment.

Question 33

Research has indicated that more than one out of every four children have experienced two or more family structural transitions before they are in fourth grade.

Question 34

Men are more likely to initiate divorce.

Question 35

The divorce rate in 2017 was higher than the divorce rate in 1980.

Question 36

Discuss the process and possible results of mediation.

Question 37

Provide some possible reasons that some family members might adjust to divorce better than others.

Question 38

Do you think that there is stigma associated with divorce? Why or why not?

Question 39

Outline the divorce variation and fluidity model.

Question 40

Why did divorce rates rise substantially until the early 1980s?