(Not) again: exploring the impact of second parental dissolution on the mental health of emerging adults

Summary

Parental dissolution generally affects the mental health of children. Given the prevalence of second parental dissolutions, we examine how family instability affects the mental health of emerging adults. Using the UK Household Longitudinal Study (including the British Household Panel Study and Understanding Society), we employ propensity score matching to compare four groups: those experiencing none, one early, one late or two parental dissolutions. We test four hypotheses positing a greater negative effect of a second dissolution related to the order of the divorce, age, gender and siblingship size. Overall, we find no statistically significant differences in mental health among the four groups, including those who experienced no parental dissolution. Consequently, all hypotheses are rejected. Results indicate that those experiencing two separations show greater mental health homogeneity compared to those experiencing one. This result can be the start of further exploration of this complex topic.