Parent/child relationships in single-parent families.

Abstract

The growing number of single-parent families has not been matched by an increase in our understanding of their family functioning. This study examined parent/child perceptions of relationships and actual interactions as a function of family structure. Participants were 28 Grade 10 adolescents and 28 parents, representing matched groups of mothers and fathers from oneand two-parent families. They completed a questionnaire regarding the quality of their relationship, were interviewed about their conflicts, and then participated in a parent/child discussion session. Both children and parents in single-parent families were found to be somewhat ambivalent in their relationships, with both greater intimacy and heightened conflict than evidenced in two-parent families, as well as less adequate ego functioning when dealing with conflicts. No support was found, however, for the commonly held notion that children in single-parent families fare better in the custody of same-sex parents.