ABSTRACT
Existing research has documented the benefits of marriage and the costs of divorce for men, women, and children (for a review, see Bramlett & Mosher, 2001). The psychological costs of divorce for men and women include poorer psychological adjustment, increased health problems, and lower levels of happiness (Amato, 2000). Furthermore, existing research has also documented poorer outcomes among children of divorce, when compared with children living in two-parent families, with regard to social competence, academic achievement, and psychological adjustment (Amato; Coleman, Ganong, & Fine, 2000). Although it is unclear whether the negative outcomes associated with divorce are causal or due to selection effects (Amato; Bramlett & Mosher), an undisputed reality is that current rates of marital disruption are considerably higher than they were 50 years ago (Amato & Irving, chap. 3, this volume; Kreider & Fields, 2001; Teachman, Tedrow, & Crowder, 2000). This is a reality for all major ethnic or racial populations in the United States, including Latinos. Current estimates for first marriages suggest that 48% of Whites’ marriages, 52% of Latinos’ marriages, and 63% of Blacks’ marriages end in divorce within the first 20 years of marriage (Bramlett & Mosher).
