Deck 14: Rebuilding: Family Life Following Divorce

Question 1

Children from single-parent homes _____.

A) are twice as likely to repeat a grade in school
B) are at much greater risk of being unemployed
C) are twice as likely to become teenage parents
D) all of the above are true

Answer 1

D

Question 2

What are "perfect pals"?

A) spouses who are friends
B) divorced partners who remain friends after they divorce
C) children of divorce
D) divorced partners who maintain strong friendships with their children

Answer 2

B

Question 3

This type of divorced parents is similar to angry associates, except they are incapable of coparenting.

A) dissolved duos
B) fiery foes
C) cooperative colleagues
D) perfect pals

Answer 3

B

Question 4

It usually takes six to ten years or more after a remarriage before the stepfamily reaches this stage of the relationship.

A) early remarriage
B) post remarriage
C) late remarriage
D) remarital stability

Question 5

________ refers to instances when either one or both of the spouses have been previously married.

A) Stepmarriage
B) After-marriage
C) Remarriage
D) Post-marriage

Question 6

In the U.S., it is more than likely that the noncustodial parent is the ________.

A) father
B) mother
C) grandparent
D) aunt or uncle

Question 7

________ are divorced couples whose anger is an integral part of the post-divorce relationship. Not only is the divorce experience marked with long, heated battles over property, custody, visitation, and other matters, but the fighting continues for many years following the divorce.

A) Fiery foes
B) Dissolved duos
C) Perfect pals
D) Angry associates

Question 8

Children and adolescents may often act out when going through a divorce, typically through aggressive misbehaviors, noncompliance, disobedience, delinquency, increased absences from school, and increased aggressiveness. This is known as _____.

A) internalizing difficulties
B) cognitive regression
C) externalizing difficulties
D) cognitive aggression

Question 9

These parents feel that being cooperative is more important to the well being of their children than winning individual battles.

A) perfect pals
B) angry associates
C) cooperative colleagues
D) sharing parents

Question 10

When one or both of the married partners bring children from a previous relationship into the new marital relationship, the newly merged family is referred to as a _____.

A) stepfamily
B) postfamily
C) blended family
D) both A and C

Question 11

The term ________ refers to the separate, distinct households that form after marital separation or divorce.

A) binuclear family
B) bipolar family
C) nuclear family
D) dual family

Question 12

Remarriages last an average of ________ years.

A) 7
B) 10
C) 12
D) 5

Question 13

After a divorce, this type of couple breaks off any contact with one another. In some instances, one partner (typically the man) literally "disappears," and thus leaves the mother with the entire burden and responsibility of reorganizing and redefining the family.

A) angry associates
B) fiery foes
C) dissolved duos
D) invisible instances

Question 14

Research suggests that instability in remarriages is the result of a breakdown in three areas. Which one of the following is NOT one of these areas?

A) commitment
B) counsel
C) communication
D) cohesion

Question 15

During the ________ stage of development, which takes most families about three to five years to complete, the family becomes a more cohesive unit and functions less along strictly biological lines.

A) early remarriage
B) middle remarriage
C) late remarriage
D) pose remarriage

Question 16

Children of divorce may express emotional problems such as worry, feelings of unhappiness, anxiety, depression, distress, guilt, and poor self-concept. Children of divorced families have been shown to have a lower concept of self, as well as a lower sense of well-being. This is known as _____.

A) emotional regression
B) externalizing difficulties
C) psychosocial deterioration
D) internalizing difficulties

Question 17

The early stage of a remarriage relationship is known as _____.

A) middle remarriage
B) honeymoon
C) premarriage
D) early remarriage

Question 18

Sometimes referred as the "cement" child, this child is one born to the remarried couple.

A) residential stepchild
B) half-sibling
C) stepsibling
D) mutual child

Question 19

Approximately what percentage of remarriages end in divorce?

A) 30%
B) 40%
C) 70%
D) 60%

Question 20

Due to the increasing incidence of stepfamilies, there have been attempts over the years to soften the terminology and instead use other terms that do not carry the negative connotation. Which of the following is NOT an example listed by the text?

A) complicated family form
B) blended family
C) reduced family
D) integrated family

Question 21

What is one thing that every stepfamily has in common?

A) They all come from lower to middle class situations.
B) They have all experienced divorce.
C) They have all faced loss.
D) They have all faced domestic violence.

Question 22

Adults must understand the common challenges children face as they enter into this new family system. Which of the following is NOT listed as a challenge common to children adjusting to stepfamilies?

A) legal pressure
B) guilt
C) loyalty conflicts
D) loss of power and control

Question 23

The phenomenon of fathers taking on the "friend" role following divorce is so common that some have labeled noncustodial fathers as

A) "Perfect Pals".
B) "Perfect Pops".
C) "Disneyland Dads".
D) "Fathers-as-Friends".

Question 24

Cries of, "You're not my real mom," or "I don't have to listen to you, you're not my dad!" are indicative of what type of stepfamily stressor?

A) financial difficulties
B) adjusting to new parenting roles
C) grieving past losses
D) establishing discipline

Question 25

Post-divorce men initiate dating relationships sooner than do post-divorce women.

Question 26

Children's involvement with their fathers following divorce is important to their development.

Question 27

After a divorce, mothers are more likely to forgive than fathers.

Question 28

Immediately inheriting new children with distinct behaviors and differences in needs poses many issues, not least of which is learning how to share parenting responsibilities. This is an example of what kind of step-family stressor?

A) financial difficulties
B) establishing discipline
C) adjusting to new parenting roles
D) grieving past losses

Question 29

Men do better emotionally post-divorce than do women.

Question 30

Custodial mothers are more likely to be of what race?

A) Black
B) Hispanic
C) White
D) Asian

Question 31

Empirical evidence strongly suggests that it is the divorce that ultimately influences post-divorce adaptation in children and adolescents.

Question 32

Regardless of the custodial arrangements, the parents' post-divorce relationship greatly influences how they fulfill their parental functions.

Question 33

In a study of nearly 5,000 post-divorce women, the investigators found that among parents of preschool children _____.

A) women reported less consumption of alcohol than men did
B) women reported greater consumption of alcohol than men did
C) alcohol consumption levels were by and large similar
D) women reported no marked increase in alcohol consumption

Question 34

When adults remarry, they inherit new responsibilities and obligations which may cause added strain. ________ is common in stepfamilies, as stepfathers and stepmothers alike may be under a court order to pay child and/or spousal support to their former families.

A) Disciplinary strain
B) Financial strain
C) Strain caused by bonding issues
D) Strain caused by new parenting roles

Question 35

Ongoing stressful conditions associated with divorce exert negative health effects on a person, causing such things as a lowered ability to fight infections and an increased risk to cancer.

Question 36

Each year, 1 million children experience the divorce of their parents.

Question 37

Over time, children demonstrate their resiliency to their parents' divorce.

Question 38

In this family form, the household comprises the father's biological children and his stepchildren (the children of the stepmother).

A) biological father/stepmother
B) joint biological-stepfamily
C) biological mother/stepfather
D) complex stepfamily

Question 39

In this type of stepfamily, both partners have children from previous relationships or marriage, although the children may reside in different households.

A) biological father/stepmother
B) joint biological-stepfamily
C) biological mother/stepfather
D) complex stepfamily

Question 40

Divorced dads' greatest stressors are associated with the increased contact they have with their children.

Question 41

How does guilt affect children of divorce?

Question 42

The greatest change to which children and adolescents need to adapt to post-divorce is:

Question 43

What are the five former-spouse relationship styles as characterized by the text?

Question 44

Women have stronger, more intimate social support networks than do men and turn to these rather than to a dating partner for intimacy and support.

Question 45

Following divorce, women rely more on their dating partners for intimacy and support than do men.

Question 46

Research suggests that instability in subsequent marriages is the result of a breakdown in commitment, cohesion, and communication. Explain.

Question 47

How do children of divorce and separation fare in the classroom?

Question 48

Emotional attachment between a child and a caregiver is critical to a child's development. How does this concept come to play in the emotional recovery of children following divorce?

Question 49

Post-divorce effects on children and adolescents can be broken down into three areas. What are they?

Question 50

Why do children of divorce/separation suffer academically?

Question 51

It may take as long as 8 years for a family to reorganize and adjust to remarriage.

Question 52

How are family-member loyalty, bonding, and cohesion different in a stepfamily when compared to a typical nuclear family?

Question 53

"Men are the Big Winners in divorce." Is this true? Explain.

Question 54

According to Gerlach, the essence of remarriage is vastly different from first marriages.

Question 55

Stepfamilies are rapidly becoming the most common family structure in this country.

Question 56

How does a child's involvement with his/her father affect their post-separation experience?

Question 57

During and after divorce, mothers often act as gatekeepers for their children. How has this affected post-divorce relationships between fathers and children?

Question 58

What are the four transitions/phases of divorce?

Question 59

How does family name differ between a typical stepfamily and a typical nuclear family?

Question 60

"The absence of a father is the greatest risk to children." Does research support this? Explain.

Question 61

How does the state of family economics before and after divorce affect both the family and the child's long-term adjustment to divorce?

Question 62

What are some of the tasks associated with establishing new parental roles following divorce?

Question 63

Your text lists four common challenges children face as they enter into a new family system.
Name and explain any three.

Question 64

What factors impact the nature of parenting following divorce?

Question 65

Remarriage is a process that is associated with three different developmental stages. Name and briefly describe each stage.