Network dynamics in the long-term period after divorce

This study first identified types of change in the size of the personal network over a period of 12 years following divorce. Second, differences in network change were explained by taking into account divorce characteristics, personal capacities, and structural conditions. Personal interviews were c...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of social and personal relationships 2004-12, Vol.21 (6), p.719-738
Main Authors: Terhell, Elisabeth L., Broese van Groenou, Marjolein I., van Tilburg, Theo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Changes
Divorce
Divorced people
Group dynamics
Long term
Longitudinal studies
Netherlands
Personal relationships
Social Networks
Social relations
Social support
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This study first identified types of change in the size of the personal network over a period of 12 years following divorce. Second, differences in network change were explained by taking into account divorce characteristics, personal capacities, and structural conditions. Personal interviews were conducted in three waves of a 12-year longitudinal study with 40 men and 64 women who divorced in 1987 or 1988. Most divorcees experienced network losses shortly after the divorce and in half of the cases these losses were not compensated for in the later years after divorce. For some, divorce brought merely network gains, albeit in the longer term. Personal capacities and structural conditions did not differ significantly across participants in different types of network change. Characteristics of the divorce (attitude toward divorce and conflicts with the ex-partner after divorce) partly explained differences in network change after divorce.
ISSN:0265-4075
1460-3608
DOI:10.1177/0265407504047833