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Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses

1975

Pretesting a questionnaire at the Solo Center on the

impact of divorce on children and parents
Shirley Anne Paetzhold
Portland State University

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Paetzhold, Shirley Anne, "Pretesting a questionnaire at the Solo Center on the impact of divorce on
children and parents" (1975). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 1796.
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PRETESTING A QUESTIONNAIRE AT THE SOLO CENTER
ON
THE IMPACT OF DIVORCE ON CHILDREN AND PARENTS

by

SHIRLEY ANNE PAETZHOLD

A PRACTICUM
submitted to
PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY

in partial fulfillment of
the requirements for the
degree of
MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK
1975
To The Office of Graduate Studiesl

Approval is granted to the practicum of

Shirley A. Paetzhold presented May 3D, 19751
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I wish to express my deep and sincere appreciation to

Dr. Stanley Cohen, Assistant Professor in the Department of
Psychiatry and Pediatrics, University of Oregon Medical 1

School and Nolan Jones, Research Assistant, and the other

members of the IDCAP project team for the opportunity to
work with them. Their interest, and the time and expertise
which they shared with me, were an essential ingredient in
producing this paper. It was a stimulating opportunity to
take a part in the planning and implementation of an
extremely important and challenging research project,
which has many far-reaching implications in the field of
Social Work.
I also wish to acknowledge Jay Conrad. Field Super- .

visor for the Community Mental Health Project. His support,

interest, and suggestions were vitally important in the
final direction and focus of this study.
Furthermore, I would like to acknowledge Betty
Daggett, M.S.W., Director of the Solo Center for her
interest'and cooperation during my pretest of the IDCAP
questio~aire at the Center. She also provided me with
valuable background information on the Center and on her
philosophy in creating the Solo Center.
 LIST OF TABLES

TABLE PAGE

1 Distribution by Age and Duration of Marriage • •• 18

2 Distribution by Sex and Time Lapse Since Divorce. 19

3 Classification by Level of Agreement • • • • • • • 20

4 Level of Agreement Related to Sex and Monthly

Income • • •• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 21

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS • • • • •• • • • iii

LIST OF TABLES • • • • • • • iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • v

INTRODUCTION • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1

~RE SOLO CENTER • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 2

IDCAP • • • • • ••• •••••••••••••• 9

METHODOLOGY • • •••••• •••••••• 15

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON SUBJECTS INTERVIEWED • • 22

Custody. •• •••••••• • • • • • • • 24

~STATISTICS ON DIVORCE • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • .' . 27

BACKq,R,0UND • • • • • • • • • • • •.• • • • • • • • • • 29

/-­
f FORCES OF CHANGE • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 34
\ THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT AND CHANGING ROLES • • • • •
35
>t?~

CONCLUSION • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 41

BIBLIOGRAPHY' • • •• •••••••••••••••• 44

FOOTNOTES • • • • • • • ••• • • • • • • • • • • • 49

APPENDIX A • • ••• • •• • • • • • • • • • • • 51

APPENDIX B • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 60

 INTRODUCTION

This study was concerned with the impaot of divorce on

parents and children. The writer spent a minimum of sixteen
hours per week from September, 1974 to May, 1975 in field
work at the Solo Center, as part of the requirement.s for
a Master's Degree in Social Work at Portland state Univer­
sity. Multiple areas of interest for research at the Center
narrowed to a foous on the closely interwoven problems of
child custody, child support, and visitation.
During the early stages of this research, a. 'fortuitous
interview with Dr. Stanley Cohen, Associate Professor in the
Department of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the University
of Oregon Medical School led to a cooperative effort. The
writer joined Dr. Cohen's research project, identified as
IDCAP (Impact of Divorce on Children and Parents.) The
research portion of this project had been funded, and a
team was being developed. In collaboration with Nolan Jones,
Research Assistant on the project, the writer spent many
hours in developing a questionnaire and interview schedule
under the tutelage of Dr. Cohen. The entire team met at
weekly intervals for review and critical appraisal of the
instrument. It was agreed that upon completion of a satis­
factory instrument, a pretest would be conducted at the Solo
Center. This pretest.wo~ld be in the service of determining
the degree of efficiency it evinced in reaching information
 2

needed in the first step of a controlled. longitudinal

study being implemented by the IDCAP team. Additions and
refinements were made in the instrument, based on feedback
from the pretesting operation.
This involvement was highly influential on the
writer's thinking and attitudes toward possible means of
intervention that could occur early in the divorcing process.
These interventions would hopefully minimize the deleterious
effects of the impact of the divorce process on both
parents and children. Another stimulating result occurred
through introduction to a conflict management framework as
a means of understanding the inevitable differences that
arise in close interpersonal relationships.

THE SOLO CENTER

The Solo Center is a unique experiment, operating as a

resource center for single adults. Approximately 95% of
the persons using the Center are single by divorce.
The Center is located in a homelike setting in a large
house in Northeast Portland. Betty Daggett, M.S.W.,
"Director of the Solo Center, was the driving force behind
the' implementation of an idea to provide a new service in
the community. Active involvement in ,planning and producing
a series, "The Challenge of Divorce" as an educational
event sponsored by the Metro Mental Health Association
sparked her interest in a need for an ongoing service to
 J

single adults. The Divorce Series was first presented in

1968 and became a yearly event. Each year it became more
apparent to those involved that additional support was
needed. The population of singles was growing, and the
response to the annual Divorce Series reflected that in­
crease.
Newly single individuals and those in the process of
becoming single are faced with multiple changes in their
'lives and critical decisions to make, beclouded by an aura
of personal failure. Even though our society is becoming
more tolerant of divorce, it still carries the onus of
personal failu~e.

William Goode, in his book After Divorce, suggests .

that at least some of the extreme tension which surrounds
almost ev~ry aspect of divorce may be created by the am­
biguity of the divorce process in our culture. He points

out
• • • (it) appears that role expectations which
many of us have grown up with and accepted, (and)
have in some ways found useful as guidelines for
behavior in different circumstances, at no time
dealt with behavior in relation to the fact of
divorce and how we behave with and toward the
people divorcing, where we are one of the
divorcees, a family member, a close friend, an
employer, or even a casual acquaintance •• -. In
our kinship structure there is no accepted re­
admission into former structures and formation
of a new structure is full of ambiguities. l -
In fact, it has been noted that many people ~ever

have lived autonomously as single adults. They moved from

living in the household of their family o.f origin into
 4
living as part of a couple in a marriage relationship.
The Solo Center opened its doors in November, 1973
with no source of funding but with the help of a very ded­
icated group of people who were totally convinced its time
had come. Verification of that conviction is revealed by
the number of single men and women using its services.
Growth has been much more rapid than anticipated and has
been a continuing force on the staff to keep up with and
respond to the demands.
Records indicate a count of 416 individuals, making
1278 different uses of the Center for the month of ~arch

1975. It is anticipated this figure will continue to rise

as the Solo Center develops new services which can be made
available during the daytime hours. Presently, the majority
of use is during the evening hours, and the present numbers of
people using the Center in the evening are reaching the
maximum feasible for the present facility.
The Solo Center offers lectures. rap sessions, sem­
inars, workshops, counseling, and informal socializing.
This variety of opportunities to participate provides dif­
ferent levels of support in a uniquely flexible response to
different levels of need. The design of the Center operation
demands many hours of volunteer time. It is open from
101)0 a.m. until approximately 11:00 p.m. five days a week
and from 1 p.m. until aro~d midnight on weekends. This
need for volunteers serves an essential purpose and reaches
 5
a basic need of people to be accepted and needed. This need
is especially acute at a time when personal lives are in an
extreme state of flux and uncertainty.
The only prerequisite for participation in, the Center
activities is to be a single adult person. The Solo Center
is presently operating on monies from small fees charged,
ranging from fifty cents for a drop-in fee to one dollar
for attending a rap group wtth fees of from a dollar and a
half to two dollars for most classes and seminars. Many of
the classes are conducted by professional people who are
paid a percentage of the fees and are, in essence, donating
their time and expertise. To- date, this source of income
has paid the operating expenses of the Center but has pro­
vided no staff salaries. Search for an additional source
of income is ongoing and is becoming imperative for survival.
There has been increasing confirmation of the validity
of the services offered by the Solo Center from three
highly visible and impactfu1 sections of the community.
(1) There has been,a steady rise in referrals to the
Center from family service agencies and mental
health clinics.
(2) The news media is showing incr~asing interest
in interviewing Solo Center Staff 'for newspaper
articles and radio/TV public interest series.
(3) Requests for Solo Center staff to speak
to high school and community college classes on
various aspects of the impact of divorce
reflect a broadening interest in the problem
and a real dearth of available literature.
This increasing interest reflects the rising incidence
 6
of divorce with its attendent problems. Although some of the
figures relating to divorce are not clear, they are indica­
tive of the dramatic spiral that has been occur~ing. In
an article in the New York magazine it was stated that
·'National figures show that the divorce curve soared 82%
2
between 1963 and 1972.'·
The problems rising from divorce are often traumatic.
They can be overwhelmingly pervasive in their impact on a
person's ability to cope. Dr. T.H. Holmes of the University
of Washington conducted a study into the effects of a
clustering of life event changes on a person's adapta~ility

and reaction to stress. He recognized divorce and loss of

a spouse by death as two of the most stress-producing
events in an individual's life experience. But it is also
a time when many other concomitant changes can add and build
to a veritable congery of stress, i.e. change of residence,
change in status, change in economic capability, change in
role expectations -- the common thread is change. It is,
therefore, not unexpected that both men and women going
through the process of divorce often lose a sense of per­
spective and are unable to objectively assess the realities
of their situation.
This time of crisis can be the fulcrum ,on which an'
individual can take charge and start reorganizing his life
creatively. Emotional divorce and creative rebuilding are
do-it-yourself projects, but interaction with other people
 7
can be considered a sine qua non factor in the process.
Free discourse with others who can share similar experiences
and dilemmas, as well as discuss possible solutions and
alternatives, is one of the major tools needed to get the
job und'erway. -'
• • many arguments • • • arise because certain words
II

have contradictory meanings and each person believes

his or her meaning is the onl~ meaning. The picture of
reality held by each is his own unique picture of
reality -- ~ limited knowledge ~ !h!1 reality
and each is unaware that he or she has only a
J
partial picture of reality."
The Solo Center is designed to help provide those tools
and provide the milieu in which to practice new skills in
communication, in problem-solving, in relating to others, in
learning to feel comfortable living as a single person.
4
Using the "powerful potential for action" latent in
the relevant interaction between the members of a small
group is not a new concept. Self-help groups, such as
Synan on , weight-watchers, and groups for abusive parents,
to name a few, recognize the t. ..
importance of common
5
experience as the real basis of communica.tion. It Making use
of the potential in the group process and setting up oppor­
tunities to interact with other single people has been a
major contribution in building the usefulness of the Solo
\. Center.
 8
In a different setting and for a different 'purpose,
but dealing with a similar population of persons involved
in the process of divorce, the intervention planned by
the IDCAP project is also based on the benefits accruing
to individuals w~o participate in small group interaction.
 IDCAP

This project, ti tled I·The Impact of Divorce on Child­

ren and Parents'·, was developed by the Project Director, Dr.
Stanley N, Cohen. The research,component has been funded
~y the LEAA funds administered by the Portland State Univer­
sity Division of Urban Affairs. The second phase of the
study will be a demonstration project, which to the writer's
knowledge has not yet received funding. A general descrip­
tion of the proposed work is given below&
The study focus is child custody. It has been recog­
nized that the judges who must render the final decision on
the custody of minor children involved in divorce action
have very little, if any, objective information on which
to base that decision. It also appears to be a fact that
there is almost no available in-depth demographic and
attitudinal information to draw from in developing an
. I
adequate and clear picture of what divorcing couples and
their children really "look like," Tangential to these
issues, the study is perceived as offering an opportunity
to examine whether parenting styles and attempts to prepare
children for the advent of a divorce effect their emotional
and physical development prior to, during, and after a
divorce,
The data will be collected from a random sample com­
prised of 125 first married couples with minor children
 10
filing for divorce in Clackamas County, The project
developers plan to interview both divorcing parents. Co­
operation of attorneys and school officials in gathering
other needed data has been established,
The project objectives as noted in the proposal area
a. A comprehensive descriptive analysis of the
demographic and attitudinal characteristics of
a random sample of first married divorcing couples
with minor children;
b. A descriptive analysis of the factors con­
sidered by courts in determining custody
in non-contested cases;
c. A descriptive analysis of those social and
personal factors operating with a family
that prompt intervention by courts in .
determining child custody;
d. An 18 month longitudinal study of the extent
to which parenting styles developed by
couples prior to, during and after divorce,
effect the psycho/social deve~opment of
their children.
With regard to these objectives, the major independ­
ent variables are whether the children were prepared for
their parentsJdivorce and the "type" of parenting styles
developed by the divorcing couple. The major intervening
variables are social class and cultural attributes (income,
oocupational status, race/ethnicity. religious orientation.)
The dependent variable in the children's develop­
mental adjustment is defined by:
1. their performance at school as assessed by the
child's teacher;
2. their relationship at home as assessed by the
 11

custodial parent;
3. their relationship with the non-custodial parent
,(if any);
4.' their health status as assessed by their parents
and teacher; and
S. their peer group relations as assessed by their
parents.
The kinds of data generated in this study will provide
an accurate, previously unavailable descriptive picture of
divorcing families, their ideas about post-divorce parental
responsibilities, the extent of their satisfaction with
custody, child support. visitation decisions and the kindlof
parenting styles that evolve among divorcing parents. Such
information is considered an important factor that may be­
related to a child's readjustment to divorce in non-contest­
ed and contested cases. It is believed that such illustra­
tive information is important with regard tOI

1. Father/daughter awards
2. Award to mother when both parents work
Court not awarding custody to requesting parent
~: Frequency with which father is awarded custody
.5. Award to working mother when father is unemployed
6. Frequency with which court intervenes in non­
contested cases
7. Father awarded custody of pre-school aged
children
8. Mother awarded custody of pre-school aged
children when both parents work.
An assumption is made in this study that a cooperative
parental style is healthy for children in divorced circum­
stances and has a direct effect on their development prior
 12
to, during and after divorce. For purposes of this study
a cooperative parental style is one of agreement to provide,
1. Their children support in their authority rela­
tionships at home, school, community;
2. Support to each other and use of similar
discipline patterns when with their children,
J. The non-custodial parent opportunity to spend
more time with the children, and
4. The custodial parent with s~pportin the event
unexpected problems involving the children arise.
In a like manner, a cooperative parental style is
assumed to provide the children and parents opportunities
to adapt to circumstances occasioned by the divorce such
as.
1. An absent parent;
2. Remarriage of one or both parents;

J. Relocation;
4. Illness of parent.
It is also important to note that social economic
circumstances may effect the parental style and coping
behavior of divorcing parents as they relate to their
children's needs and may, in fact, shape their responses to
children.
Based on the information and assumptions presented
above, the IDCAP project developers noted several hypotheses
which can be generated and empirically examined. The
following are examples,
1. Children whose parents have prepared them for
divorce and have established a cooperative
 m
parental style will exhibit the best develop­
mental adjustment of any group of children in­
volved in divorce.
2. Children whose parents have prepared them for
divorce will exhibit a better developmental
adjustment than children not prepared for
divorce •
. 3. The social economic circumstances of divorcing
parents is inversely related to the develop­
ment of cooperative parental styles.
4. The children of parents who have established.a
cooperative parental style will exhibit a
better developmental adjustment than children
whose parents did not establish a cooperative
parental style.
Details of the information sought from the parents
are indicated by the questionnaire. Data about school
matters will be obtained from the schools. (See Appendix A

for copy of the quesionnaire">

The second phase of the IDCAP study will be a demon­
stration project. One-half of the sample population, or
approximately 60 couples, will 'be assigned to participate
in a planned intervention program, and one-half will serve
as a control group_
It is the writer's understanding that the objectives
of the intervention are. as foilowsl
1. To assist the participants in separating the
marital relationship from the parenting
relationship;
2. To explore ways by which the parents can develop
a more cooperative parenting style.
J. To refine parental communication skills for
use in explaining the divorce to their
children and in dealing with issues that
arise during and after the divorce.
 14
The intervention program will involve a series of
three discussion periods conducted at weekly intervals in a
small group setting with a trained leader. Each small group
will be made up of not more than five couples. (Please note
that this figure was arbitrarily set by the writer.) Since
involvement of both parents will be required, there will be
ten parents in each group, plus a leader. The discussions
will be focused on ,.the following issues:
1. Their roles as separated parents, exploring the
kinds of issues they have to deal with.
2. Understanding that their marital problems
have nothing to do with their relationship
problems;
3. What custody means; what child support
means; what visitation means -- in the
context of working these things out;
4. The 'consequences to themselves and to their
children if they don't develop a real
understanding of ,the issues and problems
involved and a realistic view of the future.
As a further aid in clarifying the issues involved,
Dr. Cohen plans to develop a film which would be designed
to stimulate and raise awareness. This film will be pre­
sented at the first group meeting. It will delineate some
of the more critical issues that parents and children have.
to contend with in a divorce and how parents deal with them.
In addition, it is contemplated that three more
discussion group meetings could be held by the parents on
a voluntary basis with possibilities that parents could
extend discussion groups on their own, if they should wish.
 METHODOLOGY

The questionnaire used in this study was developed in

collaboration with Dr. Stanley Cohen. Project Director, and
Nolan Jones, Research Assistant of a longitudinal project,
titled "The Impact of Divorce on Children and Pare~ts."

Following is a description of the methods used by the writer

in conducting a pretest of.the questionnaire at the Solo
Center, which was the major purpose of this study •
. This is a descriptive study of a selected group of
twenty divorced or separated individuals with minor children,
who were currently using the Solo Center as a resource.
Fourteen women and six men were interviewed. The research
instrument included a total of fifty-five questions. Twenty­
three questions were designed to gather dem?graphic data •.
Thirty-two questions probed attitudes and perceptions re­
lating to the divorce process.
The writer remained aware of the two-fold purpose
of the interviewss
1. First, to obtain information on the efficacy
of the questionnaire in generating the data
desired, remaining cognizant of questions
which were not clear or were not easily
understood and easily answered.
2. To obtain factual information, plus subjective
impressions and reports of the experiences
and reactions which developed before, during
and after the divorce, to explore evidence
of agreement or disagreement between the
divorcing couple in reaching decisions on .
four major issuesl
 ·16

a. Decision to divorce
b. Child custody
c. Child support
d. Visitation arrangements.
The methodology used to accomplish the above stated
purpose was as follows:
Each subject was handed a questionnaire and asked to
check at least one answer, or more if applicable, for every
question. When the questionnaire had been completed, the
writer rapidly reviewed the twenty-three demographic
questions, to verify that everyone had been answered.
Next, the writer approached each of the remaining
thirty-~o questions, using what has been described as the
phenomenological method. MacLeod describes the phenomen­
.ological method as applied to psychology as
• • • the systematic attempt to observe
and describe in all its essential char­
acteristics the world of phenomena as .
it is presented to us. It involves the
;,,:' adoption.of what might be called an
attitude of disciplined naivete. The
. phenomenological question is simply,
"What is there?" In a sense, every
psychologist is a phenomenologist and
no psychologist achieves the ideal. 6
'The second portion of the interview was taped. An
, .
attempt was made to maintain an attitude of "disciplined
naivete" in order to allow spontaneous and subjective re­
sponses that were clearly the interviewee's own. Efforts
were made not to lead or interject comments. Probing
questions in a form such as "Can you tell me a little more
 17
about that? .. were used when the writer felt it was necessary.
The efforts' of the writer in this method were only partially
successful.
, i • •
The aubJects were ~nformed of the dual purpose of the
interview, i.e., to pretest ~he questionnaire for the larger
research project which was being planned by the IDCAP team;
and to gat~er data to be used in writing a paper in order
to complet~ the requirements for a Master's Degree in Social
Work at Po~tland State, University. A typed memorandum giving
the background of the research project in brief and detail­
ing the mechanics of the process of the'interview was shown
to the subject at the beginning of the interview. (See
Appendix B for example of memorandum.)
There was no attempt made to collect a random sample.
The writer wishes to emphasize that the data collected is
of interest' only in a descriptive sense. and that no attempt
will be mad'e to draw conclusions from the data generated.
Except in two instances. only one of the divorced
spouses was interviewed. The data collected was inevitably
biased. and' in some instances, highly emotionally charged.
There was no attempt made to control the sample for sex,
age. length of marriage, or lapse of time since divorce.
The s~ple was collected and interviews conducted
as time "and. circumstances of both the writer and available
Solo Cente~ participants allowed.

_J
 Table It which follows t desc~ibes the interviewed
subjects by age and duration of ma~riagel

TABLE I
SUBJECTS INTERVIEWED

DURATION OF fJI.l.!RRIAGE
Age at Male-Fem. Male-Fem. Male-Fern Male-Fem
Divorce TQtal 5-9 yr. 10-14 yr. 15-19 yr. 20+ yr.

26-28 5 1 -4 0 0 0 0 0 0

29-31 3 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0

32-34 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

JS-'J7 3 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0

.38-40 .3 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0

41-4.3 :1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
44-46 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
47-49 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 l~

SO-52 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
53-5,5 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0

TOTALS 20 :3 6 2 J 1 2 0 J

 Table 2, which follows, described the interviewed

subjects by sex and length of time lapse since divorce
or separation:

TABLE 2

SUBJECTS INTERVIEflED

Time lapse since divorce or separation

Sex Total Under 1 yr. 1 - 2 yr. J - 4 yr.

Men 6 2 2 2
Women 14 5 6 J

TOTALS 20 1 8 5
 Table ), which follows, describes the interviewed
subjects by the level of agreement or disagreement reached
with their spouse indicated in four areas& (1) decision to
divorce; (2) child custody; () child support, (4)
visitation.

TABLE )
SUBJECTS INTERVIEWED

+ AC -DC

+AV -DV +AV -DV

+ACS 6 o 1 o
+AD
-DCS 0 o o o

+ACS 4 o 1 2
-DD
-DCS 2 1 g )

TOTALS 12 1 2 5

AC = Agree Custody ACS = Agree Child Support

- DC = Disagree Custody DeS = Disagree C. Support
AV = Agree Visitation AD = Agree Divorce
DV - Disagree Visitation DD 3_ = Disagree Divorce
 21
Table 4, which follows, describes the interviewed
subjects by level of agreement or disagreement reached
with their spouses in four areas: (1) decision to
divorce; (2) child custody; (3) child support, (4)
visitation. The level of agreement or disagreement is
described in relation to sex and monthly income.

TABLE 4
SUBJECTS INTERVIEWED

if:
Three or more Two '.plus It & Three or
Monthly "minus" two "minus" more "plus"
Income Categories Categories Categories

Total Men Fem. Men. Fern. Men. Fem.

Less $200 . 0 o o o o o .0

200-399 5 1 2 o o o 2
400-599 3 o 2 o o o ,1

600-799 J o 1 o 1 o 1
800-999 2 o o o 1 o 1
1000-1199 2 o o· o 1 o 1
1200-1399 3 o o o o J .0

1400-1599 0 o o o o o o
1600-1799 0 o o o o o o
1800 + 2 o o o o 1 1
TOTALS 20 1 5 1 2 ~ 7
* "minus" = disagreement

"plus" = agreement

 22

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON SUBJECTS INTERVIEWED

As has been mentioned, the subjects were not controlled

for variables on age, duration of marriage, or time lapse
since divorce. All subjects had b~en married one time only.
The distribution on the above variables is noted below:
AGEl
Seventy-five percent of the sample w~re forty years
old or younger, with twenty-five percent of these in the 26­
28 age category.
Average age - ;6.7 years
Median age - 36.0 years
Range 26 - 55 years
DURATION OF MARRIAGE •
. Forty-five percent of the sample had been married be­
tween,five and nine years; twenty-five percent fell in the ten
to fourteen year category; fifteen percent in the fifteen to
nineteen year category; and fifteen percent had been married
twenty years or more.
Average duration of marriage - 12.5 years
Median duration of marriage - 11.0 years
Rang~ 5 - 21 years
~ LAPSE SINCE DIVORCE,
Under one year - 35%
One - two years - 40%
Three - four years 25%
 23
.The twenty divorced or divorcing individuals inter­
viewed at the Solo Center offered examples along a full
continuum from very '~role-controlled" individuals to some
moving toward a ·'role free" viewpoint of life style and
behavior patterns.
Some questions on significant issues of special inter­
est were raised in the writer's mind. Some of these
questions and the impressions received during the course of
the interviews follow:
1. What was the general impression conveyed by
attorneys to clients on the decision-making process?
Examples of attorneys attitudes were given by three fathers
who had sought information from their attorney regarding
gaining custody of their children. One reported that he was
told there was no point in trying to get custody. The
divorce was being obtained in a small, conservative town
and .. there's just no point in fighting." Another father
was told, "Forget it. What makes you think you'd be any
better than your wife?" A third father said that his
attorney wouldn't even discuss it with him.
One mother was told by her attorney that if she were
to go to a marriage 90unselor, she would get a divorce for
sure. Another woman expressed her chagrin as she described
how she and her spouse of many years had reached very
am~cable arrangements on the details of property settlement.
which the attorneys proceeded to argue against. Her im­
pression was that the attorneys had a vested interest in
 24
"winning."
2, What assumptions seemed to be operating in the
decision making process, relating to child custody, child
support, and visitation? There appeared to be a consistent
feeling that the mother was probably the best qualified and
most capable of having custody of the children. Those
mothers who expressed some wish to have more freedom from
the responsibility did not appear to hold this as a realistic
expectation. There were comments such as "With his work. he
wouldn't be able to manage;" "He's just not interested in
being tied down." Within this very small sample, there
appeared -to be very little thought or consideration of any
type of shared custody,
In regard to child support and visitation, there was a
frequently heard connection between these two issues with
visitation sometimes used as a threat to force payment-of
support, and sometimes seen as something that was a "right..
because it had been paid for by child support.
3. What were the general effects of the level of
agreement/disagreement between the marital partners on the
decision-making process? There was no pattern that would
indicate any obvious tie between the overall level of agree­
ment and the general degree of conflict between the spouses.

CUSTODY

Of the twenty subjects interviewed, eighteen reported

that the mother had-custody of the children; one subject
 25
(a man) reported a split oustody arrangement; and one sub­
ject reported that the mother had received custody, but one
of the children, a teen-age boy, had moved in with the
father due to conflict with the mother.
Following is a brief description of one subject's
report of a split custody arrangement. The mother was award­
ed custody of the eight and fourteen old daughters; the
father was awarded custody of the thirteen year old son.
However, in actual practice they shared custody of all three
children.
He explained what appeared to the writer to be a
unique arrangement. By design, the ·parents live within a
few blocks of each other. The three children alternate
between the two homes on a consistent schedule -- all three
shifting en toto three times per week. This pattern was
originally established to fit with the parents' work
schedules. The children ride the same school bus and attend
the same school from both homes.
Some of the factors contributing to the success of
this arrangement, which has been functioning for over a
year, appear to bel
1. The parents ability and willingness to perceive
their parenting relationship as separate from
their former marital relationship.
2. The age of the children, plus their adaptability
to the arrangement. An added assist was their
friends quick accommodation and adjustment to
the schedule. .
J. Above-average'" income.
 26
4. Similarity of parenting style and expectations.
All other things being equal, this method of sharing
the responsibilities of child care 1n its total dimension
could be one answer to the point made by William Goodes
Parents become physically and psychically
weary in their constant attempts to.socialize
their children. who are their superiors in
energy output. speed of energy recovery and ?
cleverness at finding escapes from pressure.
The general impressions received by the writer rein­
force the IDCAP team's special interest in question #48 on
the questionnaire,.
During the divorce proceedings, do you think it
would be helpful to have someone sit down with you
and your spouse in order to work out a parenting
relationship that would be the most beneficial
for your children?
There was a strong positive response to this question
with fifteen subjects marking .tyes" answers, and five sub­
jects marking "no". It would appear that the subjects in
this sample would welcome some guidance and help through a
difficult transitional period when many important issues
must be decided.
 STATISTICS ON DIVORCE

There is a very real and growing need for research

such as being demonstrated in the InCAP project.
Divorce statistics, as they are compiled, do not
approach a degree of accuracy which could provide a profile
of divorce and marriage. let aione provide a matrix for
completing a picture. In conversation with a person in the
research and statistical section at the Bureau of Vital
Statistics for the state of Oregon, the writer received
figures of 5,711 divorces in Oregon 'in 1960 and 1),583
divorces in Oregon in 1974. This reflects an increase of
138% in a fourteen year period: This is a startling enough
rise to provide ·solid data" for those who foretell the doom
of marriage as an institution in our society. But additional
information was offered to the effect that the research
staff had reservations about their data in a number of areasl
1. They had serious doubts about the completenees
.of their data. They had just received notices
of an additional one hundred and fifty divor­
ces granted in Oregon in 1974. These records
had been "set to one side" by a judge.
2. Their records indicated no accurate data on
remarriage or "re-divorce. tI
J. Current records (1973) indicate 4,932 minor
children were involved in 12.946 marriage
dissolutions. The writer was advised that
these figures may not include all of the
minor children affected. Children from a
former marriage by one or both spouses,
for example, may not be listed in the
records.
 28

Adrian Bradbrook noted in an issue of the Journal of'

Family Law that "75% of all divorcees remarry within five
years, and that 18% of all marriages in the United States
, 8
are re~rriages for one or both spouses • • • . This in­
formation mayor may not be reflected in available records.
Reverend Gordon Dickey in his report, Divorced Catholics:
r

~ Imperative for Social Ministry, commented:

"Research literature on divorce in
general, and on religion and divorce
in particular, is conspicuous by its
absence • • • Most authors admit to
a knowledge gap which handicaps even
statistical research on religion and
divorce." 9

,-­
 BACKGROUND

The paucity of complete and accurate data contributes

to the ambiguity and complexity of the issues and problems
raised by divorce and demands thoughtful attention. The
-range of variables operating in a family system have led to
a widespread dependence on assumptions and generalizations
in assessing the impact of divorce. Some of the more im­
portant variables area
lJ. Socioeconomic factors, including individual
history and level of employment. as well
as the general level of employment and
prosperity in the society;
2. Religious, orientation;
3. Strength or weakness of kinship ties and
support network;
4. Number and ages of children;
S. Level of agreement and/or disagreement
between the marital partners on basic
issues.
a. Money management
b. Life style
c. Parenting style
d. Long-term goals
. Many of the attitudes toward divorce reflected in our
social philosophy are buried in assumptions and generaliza­
tions which carry a strong negative connotation. The label
"broken home" is commonly seen in th'e literature on divorce.
The descriptive term "broken home" is often seen as leading
to juvenile delinquency, school dropout, alcoholism, depres­
 30
sion and suicide. This perjorative attitude is extended to
the further assumption that the disorganization and upheaval
which are often clearly apparent in a family during the
divorce process is likely to continue for an indefinit'e
period with concomitant damage to the children.
Any major change within the famil~ grouping can create
a period of disruption and tension, affecting each member
and especially the children. New family members enter the
scene through birth. Members leave for a job or school,
through marriage, illness and death. For whatever reason,
the existing balance is altered, and the remaining members
must relate to each other in new ways. Changes such as
these touch every family at different periods in its life
and are· universally accepted and recognized. Our social
philosophy acknowledges these as inevitable, passes no
judgement, affixes no stigma of failure and expects re­
organization to be accomplished within a reasonable period
of time. All of the protagonists living out these dramas
know their parts and what is expected of them. This is not
true of divorcing parents.
As succinctly stated by Jane K. Burgess in an article
appearing in l'.h!a FamilY Coordinator with the title "The
Single-Parent Family: A Social and Sociological Pro'blem I"
A parent who is alone as a result of
divorce, separation, or death has many
problems that do not arise in a two-
parent family. ' Changes take place in
the sexual· area, in parent-child relations
 31
where one parent now assumes the
principal responsibility, and in the
economic structure of the family.
Probably the most difficult problem
facing the single parent comes from
the attitudes and behavior of society
which isolates to a degree the single
spouse from the mainstream of a former
socioe.conomic way of life. 10
The widely used adjective "stable" when referring to
the two-parent family delivers a strong clue to our societal
judgement on the 'issue. Often the advice received by divor­
cing parents with minor children carries a covert message
t.hat they have failed at their most important task -- that
of providing a stable, loving home environment for their
children. This message can provide fertile ground for ~x~

tending the marital battlelines into the parenting relation­

ship with each parent anxious to relieve his own feelings' of
failure.
The writer has developed an on-going interest in the
power of language and its influence on behavior, through
the continual internal coversation which preoccupies us and
through our interpersonal conve~sations. The following
quote from Wendell Johnson carries significant meaning in
relation to this study,
• • • For I am convinced. through my own
studies and the studies of others, that
language fashions and limits our thinking
far more than our thinking determines our
use of language • • •
This language of the ancients is our
folk language, the common everyday lan­
guage in which you and I carryon our
everyday chatting with our friends and
 32
neighbors, Made in a world that had to
be seen as static to be bearable, it is
a static language, which we try to make
do in a process reality, It is full of
the adoration of certainty. It is so
constructed that our feelings, even the
ancient fears and suspicions, can sound
so much like facts that we often do not
notice they are not. It is a categori­
cal language with devices for lumping
and labeling and eneralizin (emphasis
is made by the writer that seem to give
us, as they did the ancients, an illusion
of understanding. It is a self-and­
others language, a language of one-way.
relationships, a language of separation
from others, rather than of the com­
munity of man. It is a language born
out of very impressive ignorance. 11
The writer suggests that although society's judgfmental
attitudes toward divorce per se are lessening, stereotypic
language and thinking serve to maintain strong blaming
reactions toward the divorcing parents. In an article,
"Legislative Reform of Child Custody Adjudication" by
Phoebe C. Ellsworth and Robert J. Levy it is stated,
Almost all of the studies that deal with
the effects of different childhood living
arrangements on the deve~opment and later
adjustment are correlational. The statement
that "correlation does not imply causation"
has become a truism for social science
methodology, and yet for several reasons
it must be reemphasized in relation to
. these stUdies. First of all, both psy­
chological theories and American culture
more generally tend to perpetuate stereo­
types about the causal nature of certain
childhood experiences, . "Every child
i· n~eds a mother," tlEvery little boy needs
I a father~" "Divorce is inevitably a
traumatic experience for a child," etc.
These stereotypes often result in in­
sufficient attention to alternative
h~potheses in interpreting correlational
data
. , 12
 33
.Ellsworth and Levy continuel .
The measurement problem alone would be
serious, but coupled with the extremely
strong prejudices that adequate social
and personal development require an
intact home, it becomes dangerous. On
the antecedent side ••• it can lead to
a lack of attention to other factors of
possible relevance. On the consequent
side, the same risk is present, in
addition, the consequences may be mis­
represented or exaggerated • • • It is
impossible, of course, to separate out
the effect of predivorce conflict and
the divorce itself in a study that
lacks pretesting. In relation to this
question, however, Goode (1955) found
that the majority of mothers reported
their children to be as well behaved or I

better behaved after the divorce than

before. 13
It has been suggested that:
Failure to perceive the good adjustment
both of children and spouses in many
broken homes may stem from a concentration
upon the tensions and adjustments which occur
at the time of the break. After a
'period of adjustment. a new equilibrium is
established, complicated perhaps by the
necessity for each family member to play ne~
and less clearly defined roles, but largely
free.of the unbearabl~ conf¢icts of the
prev~ous ~happy marr~age.

Family "stability" and the structure of marriage, as we

experience it, are under heavy pressure from an accelerating
rate of change. The institution of marriage has served a
vital function in society and has provided the environment
to nurture the children and suppo~t the workers our complex
technological society has required. Elizabeth Janeway,
in "Man's World, Woman's Place, comments that:
 ..

34
• , , how much is done for children by
parents alone depends very much on the
society in which the family exists, on
the social and economic demands that
society makes on the parents in other
ways, and on the help it offers them
in bringing up their children and
instructing them in the mores of the
community, 15

FORCES OF CHANGE

Today there are vital and far-reaching changes impact­

ing on our ,attitudes and on our behavior, influencing broad
facets of our environment, our interpersonal relationships,
and our intrapersonal perceptions. Some of the forces pre­
cipitating these changes area
1. Socioeconomic trends over the 'past thirty to forty
years have been shifting emphasis from a survival-oriented
society to one of surplus, The "have-nots" in our society
have been dema~ding a greater share in the economic benefits.
Interest in developing the potential of the individual and
seeking opportunities for greater self-fulfillment and
personal growth has been increasing. The proliferating
human growth movement is a reflection of this change.
2. The lengthening period of active "middle years",
opens up new 'options to many and can conceivably affect
family life patterns and the incidence of divorce.
A few generations ago" the curve of the average in­
dividual's life span followed a skewed pattern with a long
gradual slope to the top, a relatively limited plateau, then
 35
a sharp descent. For an increasing number of people, this
configuration is changing to a more symmetrical pattern with
a much broader plateau at the top. As Anne Simon aptly
described in her book, ~ li!! Years, A New Middle Agel
For the first time in history and for the
first time in his life, man (and woman) of
middle age can comprehend the great sweep
of the life span as it now stands revealed.
He can order his life to suit the new facts
about getting older which it has brought to
light. seize its options, pioneer. 16
J. The world concern over the necessity for population
control continues. Family size limitation and the thought­
ful decision by some individuals ~ to reproduce have had
influence. This changing perception contributes to the need
for a new look at family life and family purpose.
4. The increase in sheer numbers of people divorcing
brings a greater percentage of individuals into direct con­
frontation with the problems generated and the adjustments
needed.
S. One of the greatest forces for change has come
from the women's movement .and the equal rights legislation,
both of which are demanding a reassessment of role expecta­
tions and function in society for both men and women.

THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT AND CHANGING ROLES

H ••• the future shock we are living with is a force

that tells us we must change the old roles and the 'old image
17
of women." Women are responding to that force in what
 36

appears to be a growing stream and are embracing new con­

cepts of themselves which could lead to changes in our whole
social structure. It would appear useful to utilize a more
holistic perspective of what is going on in our society in
order to approach with some understanding the· vigor of the
changes. Women's move to reevaluate their roles and the
limitations structured into their traditional role is not
oceuring in a vacuum.
The pace of change sparked into action by the activities
of ~omen's "lib" appears to be affecting all areas of social
inter.action. This proliferating evolution of thought.:'arid
action has begun to draw forth significant responses from
her fellow protagonist. Men are being forced to look at
their own roles. as the tension grows in this dramatic con­
. fliet. "The writer submits that there is room for two on
center stage and that the actual sharing of the top billing
could lead to a synthesis and eventually a move toward a
synergic society. Synergy is a brilliant concept of anthro­
pologist Ruth Benedict. For purposes of.this paper, synergy
is defined as being evident in " • •
• social orders in
which the individual by the same act an~ 'at the same time

. 18

serves his own advantage and that of the group. t.

Synergy is an interesting concept which could be used as a

point of reference in examining the roles of men and women

and their relationships with their children.

We are living in the midst of a transitional period.

 'J7

This period of change could have a greater impact on our

society than the Industrial Revolution, but n • • • signifi­
cant'changes in a society's system of social policies are
not likely to occur without thorough changes in its dominant
19
beliefs, values and ideologies, (and institutions)."
The dominant value and belief systems of our society, in­
cluding the dominance of the male's position, were estab­
lished early in man's history. Man retained power and con­
trol for himself across all of the various orders of social
institutions, especially the highly important kinship order,
the economic order (Which the writer sees as the basic point
of control in the twentieth century society), as well as
political, military an~ religious orders. "In Western
society, as elsewhere, sex acts as the master status,
channeling one into particular roles and determining the
20
quality of one's interaction with others." Within the
-structure of the family institution, a self-image starts to
form'as ~ reflection of the approval and criticism of signif­
icant others, who in turn are refiecting their interpreta­
tion of the norms of behavior and expectations to which they
were shaped.
Roles, useful in facilitating social interaction at
many levels and providing a degree of stability and contin­
uity, also serve to maintain and reinforce positions of power
and dominance in men and the complementary position· of sub­
mission in women. Women have been restricted to two major
 38
roles acceptable in society -- that of wife and mother.
"There are ample grounds for assuming that women find their
position in society to be more frustrating and less reward­
ing than men and that this may be a relatively recent devel­
21
opment." It takes an,abundance of conscious, long-range
and often discouraging effort to make changes in the deeply
engrained programming which started functioning when we were
born. Tremendous effort and energy are involved in making
a major life style change and deliberately moving out of the
role society has set up for you. The role of an individual.
autonomous woman has very few guidelines and very little,
status (unless she has a source of economic power.) There
is a "need to establish new norms and get rid of the old
ones that don't fit today's world," and to deal with "the
tendency we all have to imagine that problems of how we deal
with our personal lives are merely personal •••• By doing
,this, we reduc~ a social problem to a personal problem •••
and thus we make it insoluble because we've isolated it
22
from its context."
"Sooial structure, not personality, is what must be
understood if we want to know why divorce is rampant and
23
why families are not happy."
These forc~s for change co~e into contact with great
resistance. Societal change is a slow, incremental process.
The title of Elizabeth Janeway's book, Man's World, Woman's
?lace still carries a poignant message. Marriage is still
 39
the only generally acceptable framework within which men
and women are expected to build satisfying lives. Even
though there has been some slight easing of these expecta­
tions in the past few years, remaining single, or becoming
single again through divorce, still bears the onus of per­
sonal failure.
'Howard B. Lyman, Ph.D. made a comment in his book,
Single Again, "If society made it more acceptable for people
to remain single, life might be happier for many and in­
, 24
numerable unhappy marriages might not have been committed."
The Solo Center, now in its second year of operation,
is designed to offset this discriminatory pressure by offer­
ing singles an opportunity to share ideas, problems, new
experiences, and learn of alternatives and options. In
observing and listening to both women and men in various
groups at the Center, it appeared to the writer that the
closely interwoven issues of custody, child support, and
visitation rights were ongoing battlefields and were fraught
with hostility, resentmen~ and anger. This was evident in
the statements of many divorced individuals, even though the
settlement of their divorce had been finalized a year or
more previously, As Mel Krantzler remarked in his book

-Creative Divorce:
-.--~~
Divorce courts, forcing both parties into a
system associated with criminals and law­
breakers, reinforce the notion that one .
party is innocent and the other guilty.
Although the adoption by some states of
"no fault" divorce has taken the element
 40
of blame out of financial settlements,
it has not removed it from the divorce
proceedings. Blame has simple been
shifted to the area of child custody
and visitation rights •. What often
happens as a result of this shift in
battleground is that the husband and
wife, frustrated by law from seeking
reveng~ through economic means, take
out hostilities through their child­
ren -- who are the ultimate casualities
of bitter custody fights. 25
 CONCLUSION

This study has made no attempt to draw conclusions from

the data. The main thrust of the paper is the pretest of the
questionnaire for the IDCAP project (Impact of Divorce on
Children and Parents.)
The responses to the questions by the interviewees
were critically examined and changes in the questionnaire
introduced and tested as the study evolved. The question­
naire, as shown in Appendix A, has been changed slightly,
introducing a group of questions which probe the religious
orientation and involvement of the family. Otherwise, it is
substantially the questionnaire that will be used by the
IDCAP project in Clackam~s Co~nty, which is tentatively
.planned to be operational in June, 1975.
The writer is convinced that the orientation and pro­
jected intervention, as planned by the developers of IDCAP,
deserve ·the critical attention of.the social work profession
as well as educators, lawyers, judges and all those who deal
with families and children in our society. Informal
estimates by knowledgeable persons in m~ny different fields.
of interest range up to 850,000 single parent families in
Oregon by 1975.
This growing population needs more than cursory
attention and haphazard support. It needs innovative.
thinking based on a more positive, future-oriented program
of preventive measures. The controlled study being
 42
effected by the IDCAP staff, which involves intervention
at the time of filing for divorce, as well as a series of
follow-ups over the ensuing eighteen months, appears to be
a realistic approach. This research is designed to produce
hard data. wh~ch is essential for constructive~ consequential
planning.
Paul Bohannan in Divorce and After states.
Another confusion in our present attitudes
toward divorce and remarriage comes from
our refusal to treat the conception and,
production of a child as an unbreakable
tie between the parents, regardless of
the state of the marriage contract. 26
The disparity between the actual facts and many of our ex­
pectations and assumptions serves, to obfuscate the objective
and clear understanding that is needed in planning and
creating more effective results. Bohannan also remarks.
Americans badly need some kind of com­
munity campaign for understanding the
problems that regaining emotional
autonomy involves, for creating for
divorced persons a positive role with
a moral dimension, for creating a
morality about the rights and ob­
ligations of divorced coparents that
depends less fully on the courts for
its sanction and therefore is more
likely to work. 27
Expansion of the concept of divorc'e counseling, as a
separate and distinct service, is one approach to the
problem. The Director and Staff of the Solo Center have
been in contact and correspond~nce with the National
Council on Family Relations, Task Force on Divorce and
 4:;

Reform. In their 1914 report are the following commentsl

Divorce counseling is a new concept just

beginning to take shape. It focuses on
the adjustment process with the goals
of an amicable divorce, personal growth
and the development of a fulfilling life­
style as an individual. 28
The writer would also suggest that another goal of divorce
counseling is in developing an amicable and cooperative
parenting style in the interest of reducing the trauma of
divorce for children. The results of accomplishing such
goals, relating to a positive adjustment to the process
of divorce and its aftermath, could be a powerful force in
Community Mental Health.
David R. Mace, a professor of sociology and a founder
of the American Association of Marriage and Family Counselors
wrote an article, "In Defense of the Nuclear Family" which
appears in the May/June, 1975 issue 9f !h! Humanist. He
affirms the following I
What we need to change is not the way in
which people are grouped together in social
systems, but the manner in which they
interact with each other as persons. 29
L

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0 .
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:- 45

DeVito, Joseph A. Communication Concepts and Processes,

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New York, 1974. - - ,
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~ 1973. -
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 46

Haussamen, Florence and Mary Anne Guitar. The Divorce

Handbook, G.P. Putnam Sons, New York, 1960.
Holmstrom, Lynda L. The Two Career ramily, Schenkman Pub.
Co, Camb. Mass, 1972.
Hunt, Morton M. The World of the Former~ Married, McGraw
Hill Book Co, New York, 1966.
Janeway, Elizabeth, quoted in the "Annual Report Edition. 1973
Mental Health Association of Oregon Newsletter, Portland
Oregon, October 1973.
Janeway, Elizabeth, Man's World, Women's Place, A Study in
Social Mythology,- William Morrow and Company Inc.,
New York, 1971.
Jaqua, Dr. Ernest J., Chairman, et al., City Club study,
"Divorce and Children of Divorce," Portland City
Club Bulletin, Vol 30, No 6. June 17, 1948, Portland
Oregon.
Johnson, Wendell and Dorothy Moeller, Living with Change.
~ Semantics !2! Coping, Harper and Row-ync., New
York, 1972.
Kramer. Rita. "The Psychological Parent·is the Real Parent,"
The ~ X2r[ Times Magazine, October 7, 197J/Section
b.pp 70-73.
Krantz~er. Mel. Creative Divorce, M. Evans & Co. New York.
1973•.
Lichtenberger, James P. Divorce, A Study in Social Causation,
. AMS Press, New York, 1968.
Lodge, Thomas L. "Modification of Divorce Decrees with
Respect to the Cust'ody of Minor Children -- Oregon;"
Willamette ~ Journal, Vol. 2 No 2, 1962. pp 216-226.
Lyman, Howard B., Ph.D. Single Again, David McKay Co, Inc.,
New York, 1971. .
Mace, David R. "In Defense of Nuclear Family," The Humanist,
Vol. XXV, No. J, May/June, 197.5, pp 2.7 - 29. ...
MacLeod, Robert B. "The Phenomenological Approach to Social
Psychology," in Penato Taquire and Luigi Petrullo,
Person, Perception an~ Interpersonal Behavior, Palo
Alto, Stanford University Press, 1958,
 47
~'l-
Mazur. Ronald. The ~ Intimacy, Open ,Ended Marriage and
'd'\ Alternative Llfestyles, Beacon Press. Boston, 197).
Metz, Charles V. Divorce and Custody for Men, New York,
Doubleday, 1968, pp 147 --- ---
',1

.?f
Mindey. Carol. The Divorced Mother, McGraw Hill Book Co ••
New York, 1969.
Minuchin, Salvador. "Conflict-Resolution in Family Therapy,"
Psychiatry, Vol 28, 1965, pp 278-286.
Morse, Horace And Paul Dressel Eds. General Education
, ~ Personal ~~turity, Wm. C. Brown ~o., Iowa, 1960.

National Council on Family Relations, Task Force on Divorce

and Divorce, Reform, Task Force Report, Minnesota, 1974.

Nye, F. Ivan. "Child Adjustment in Broken and in Unhappy.

Unbroken Homes. Sourceboolt on Marriage and the
It

Famil~, Edited by Marvin B. Sussman, Houghton

Miff11n, 3rd Edition, Boston, Mass, 1968, pp 434-440.
O'Brien, Patricia. The Woman Alone •• Quadrangle/The New York

Times Book Co:-New York, 197J,pp. 278

Oregonian, The. -Michigan Judges Claim Reasons for Divorce

Remain Obscure," Portland, Oregon, November 16, 1969.

Rheinstein, Max. Marriage Stability, Divorce and the Law.

Univ~r~~~y of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1972,------

Santuary. Gerald. Marriage Under Stress. Geo. Allen. Ltd.

, London, 1968
Simon, Anne. The New Years: A New Middle Age, Alfred A.

Knopf, It:lc.:-New York,-l9'b1J.

Spray, Jetse&,\': "On the Management of Conflict in Families"

l

Journal 2f r~rriage and ~ Family, November, 1971

pp 7~2 ;.. 730 . ,
Sprey, Jetse, "The Family as a System in Conflict," Journal
g! Marriage and 1h! Famil~,. November, 1969, pp 699-706.
Seattle Tlmes "Psychologist to Continue Fight for Custody of
Daughter" Bylines Larry Brown, Seattle Washington,
November 30, 1969. '
Steinmetz. Suzanne K and 'Murry Straus, Eds. Violence in the

Family, Dodd Mead & Co., New York, 1974. -- --­

,I 48
....
Steinzor, Bernard. When Parents Divorce, Pocket Books, New
," York, 1969. ---­
Task Force on Women in Transition, Women's Survival Manual,
Penn. 1972.
:
Taves, Isabella, Women Alone, ,Funk & Wagnalls, New York, 1968.
Thompson, Helen,. The Successful Stepparent. Harper & Row,

;"
New York, 19bb.pp 237.

Tingen vs Tingen Oregon Supreme Court Advance Sheets, Vol.

8? No 5, J. Mengler Author, November 6, 1968,
pp 365 - 368,
Western Reserve Law Review "The Adversary Process - Child
Custody Proceedings", July 18, 1967, pp 1731 - 17.52.
Whitehurst, Robert N., "Alternative Life Styles,·' The
Humanist, Vol XXXV, No. ), May/June, 1975, pp-23-26.
Zuk, Gerald H•• Ph.D. "The Go-Between Process in Family
Therapy," Family Process, Vol. 5, No.2, September,
1966,
iOt.
I

..
,'" FOOTNOTES
1
William J. Goode, Women in Divorce, The Free Press,
New York,
2 1956 (1965), pp. I, 12.' · . ,
Erica Abeel, ItDivorce Fever s Is It ie.n' Epidemic?"
~ York, Vol. 7 No.~4, November 4., 1974, p. 46.
·3
. William D.llrooks·, Speech Communication. William
C.~rown Co., Iowa, 1971, p. 41.
4
Brooks, p. 143.
S
Daniel Katz, ."Psychological Barri.ers to Communi­
cation,'· Joseph A. DeVito, Ed., Communication Concepts aJnd
Processes, New Jersey, 1971, p. 173.
6
Robert B. MacLeod, ItThe Phenomenological Approach
to Social Psychology", in Penato Taquir.e and Luigi Petrullo,
Person Perception and Interpersonal Behavior, (Palo Alto,
Stanford University Press, 1958), p. 34.
? .
Goode, p. 309.
8 .
Adrian Bl'adbt-ook, tiThe Relevance of Psychological
and Psychiatric Studies to the Future Development of the
Laws Governing the Settlement of Inter-Parental Child .
Custody Disputes", Journal of Family Law, Vol. 11, p. 560.
9
Rev. Gordon Dickey, Divorced Catholics; An
Imperative for Social Ministry, November 1,·1974. p. 1'3.
10
Jane K. Burgess, "The Single Parent Family. A
Social and Sociological Problem"', The Family Coordinator,
Vol. 19, No. 1 (April, 1970), P. 22B7
11 . .
Wendell Johnson and Dorothy Moeller, Living with
Change: The Semantics of Coping, Harper & Row, Inc.~
New York, 1972. p. 17. ' " . '.
12 : .
Phoebe C. Ellsworth and Robert J. Levy, "Legisla­
tive Reform of Child Custody Adjudication", Law ,and Society
Review, 1969, 4:168-233, p. 172.' , ,- ­
1.3
Ellsworth and Levy, pp. 177, 181.
14
Ivan F. Nye, "Child Adjustment in Broken and in
Unh~ppy, U~broken Home~",·Sourcebook .Q!! Marriage and the
Famlly, Ed~ted by Marvln B. Sussman, Boston, Houghton
Mifflin, Jrd Edition, 1968, p. 32.
 so

15 ...
.at
Elizabeth Janeway, Man's World, Woman's Place, A
.f: studx ~Social Mythology. Wiliiam Morrow & Company, Inc.,
New York, 1971, p. 189.
16'
t Anne Simon, The New Years: A New Middle Age,
Alfred A. Knopf, InC:; NeW York, 1969;-p• .307.
17
Elizabeth Janeway, quoted in "Annual Report
Editionc 197.3, Mental Health Association of Oregon, ~­
letter (Portland, October 197.3).
18
Rodney Gorney, M. D., !h! Human Agenda (New York,
1968) p. 164-.5.
19
David G. Gil, Unravelling Social Policy: Theories,
Analysis, and Political Action Toward Social Egualit~,
Mass, 197.3, p. 28.
20
Walter R. Gove, "Adult Sex Roles and Mental
Illness", American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 78, No.4,
January, 1973, p. 814.
21
Gove, p. 816.
22
Janeway, Mental Health Association Newsletter,
October, 197.3.
2;
Robert N. Whitehurst, "Al1ternative Life Styles",
The Humanist, Vol. XXXV, No. ;, May/June, 197.5, p. 24.
- 24
Howard B. Lyman, Ph.D., Single Again,
David McKay Co., Inc., New York, 1971, p. 91.
25
, Mel Krantzler, Creative Divorce, M. Evans & Co.,
New York, 197.3, pp. 92-93.
26
Paul Bohannan, Ed. Divorce After, Doubleday &
Co., Ino., New York, 1971, p. 120.
27
Bohannan, p. 297.
28 _
National Council on Family Relations, Task Force
on Divorce and Divorce Reform, "Task Force Report tf ,

Minnesota, 1974, p. 4. - .
29 . ,
David R. Mace, "In Defense of the Nuclear Family",
~ Humanist, May/June, 1975, p. 29. '

/.
Y XICIWddY
I

-,.
~I
 NAME:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ 10 NUMBER:
.c.
\
----­
ADDRESS :_ _ _ _ _~_ __=<"­

AI:.
~

.'
TELEPHONE NUMBER: _ _ _ _ __
r
,If..

f Please write down the name, address and telephone of a relative or friend
who will always know where you can be reached.
,­

Name
,­ ~F-.i-rs~t----------------------~Mr.i~dd~l~e----------------------~La-s~t---

Address
~~--------~--~--------~~------------~~~~~~------
Number Street City Zip Code Telephone

\,

'\.

10 How many times have you filed for divorce?

k
I

~
- -This is the first time I have filed

,.J:. --2 times

- -3 or more times
. l­
2. Race/ethnic identification:
l;. _ _C_aucasian,
Black (Negro), Chicano (Mexican American),

--"Oriental, Native American (American Indian)

(
30 Religious preference:
1+

--Protestant,· Catholic, Jewish, Other, None

40 How many children do you have? _ _

Age Sex Grade level School Name Living with

.­

5. Check the following to indicate those people NOW living with you:
_--...:.No one, Ch11 dr-en, Mother andlor Father,
_ _Mother-in-law and/or father-in-law, Other relatives,
___Housekeeper, Friends, Other (describe) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

6o:~ Are you currently working? Yes, No

 7.. If yes, are you working Full time, Part time~ ______Other (describe)

,"'-
8. What is your occupation? _ _ _ _ _ _- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ­
t'­
- .- ... ~

9.. How long have you been working at present job? .L:l 'mcnthror'~ess,
(
_ _1 - 6 months, 7 - 11 months, 1 - 2 years, _ _more than 2 years
,­

10. If you are not working, how long have you been out of \~rk?

(. _----'Less than 1 month, Between 1 - 6 months t betwee.' 7 months - 1 yr",

r
_ _Over 1 year

11.. Are you a student or invol'l,ed in a work training program? Yf.~, No.

12. If yes to question 111, are you 1n olved

r
.. full time, Part time

13. If no to question #11, do you plan to seek more schooling or other :ra1n1ng?
_ _Yes, ~o.

14 q What is your work history before marriage?

Never m~~ked. worked full time. worked part time.
-----'

150 What;s your work history during marriage?

- -Never worked, . worked full time, worked part t1n~o

16. How many jobs have IOu· h~ld during the past five years? NOlle, _J,

4 or more.
- -2, 3,

170 What is your monthly income before anything is taken out? Le~~s tt,an $2~Ol

_$200 - $399, _$400 - $599" _$600 - $799, _$800 - $999, __$1,000 :.. ~"99,
_$1200 - $1399. _$1400 - $1599, _$1600 - $1799, _$1800 and up

18. If you are working, who takes care of your children on a regular basis?

~
.Other -parent, " Relatives.
~............
Child care center. .............Baby sitter,

_Take care. of themselves, _Other (explain) ____________

 19. If you are not working, who takes care of your chfldren \vnen you are away
for reasons other than working, such as shopping, appointnents, social
f
activities?
,lit.

<.
;
_Other parent, _Relatives, _Child care center, __Baby sitter,
____Take care of themselves.

(-
20. Have you and your spouse talked about living apart? Yes, No.
r

21. If yes, for how 10ng1 _Less than a week, _1 - 3 weeks, 1 - 3 mnths,
_4 .. 6 months, _oY~r 6 mnths.
f

22 • Are you and your spouse now living apart? ---,as, _No.
..
23. If yes, for how long? _Less than a week, _1 - 3 weeks, _1 - 3 months,
_4 - 6 months, _over 6 months.

24. Have you ever received professional counseling about those problems leading
to your divorce? ~Yes, _No

25. Please check to whom you talked about these matters.

_ _Psychiatrist

_ _Psychologist

- -Counselor/social worker

_ _C1 ergyman

----Other
----------------------------------------
260 Are you presently receiving pro~essional counseling about those problems
leading to your divorce? yes, no

27. Please check to whom you talked about these matters6

_ _Psychiatri st

_ _Psychologist

--Counselor/social worker

- -Clergyman

Other,

---- ---------------------------------------
 28. Describe briefly some of the reasons you decided to file for divorce.

f
~
!

I'

I~

29. Did you want the divorce? Yes, No.

r
I'

30. Has the divorce been d1s~ussed with your children? yes, no •
....
31. Who has custody of your children? yourself. spouse, other,
r (describe) _ _ _ _ _ _ _- - - - - - - - - ­

( 32. How did you arrive at the decision about who will have custody of your
children?
,_discussed with spouse
___discussion with children
_~llti~)tl.ith)lr.t,~.with n\Y attorney
---professional counseling
_court decision
_other (describe) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _- - - - - ­

330 What issues· were cons1d~red 1n deciding who should have custody of your
children?
_._age of children. _sex of children, _Wishes of children, _schooling
for children, _special health problems, _child care arrangements.
_month, ~relationsh1ps of children to parents, _relationships of
parents with other people, _remarriage of e1ther parent. _other _ _ _,

34c Were any of the following also discussed in deciding who should have custody
of your children:
_work schedule, _time away from home, ~ous1ng arrangements. _Outs,ide
time cORlllitments, _amount of time spent with children.
 350 Did you ever consider any custody arrangement other- than the present one.
yes ,
_ _...II no.
f
..=:...
I
36,. Are you satisfied with the present custody arrangement? Yes, No
r:.
370 What reason (s) would influence you to change the present custody arrangement?
f
___change in financial ability to provide by either parent
r ~

___child neglect or abuse by either parent

___change in either parentis ability to take care of the children
____change in li~~~, arrangements/by either parent that affects the children
I~

___other ____________________________________________________

38.. Is child support tlla1ng" paid? yes. no

390 How di.d you arrive at the decision made regarding child support?
___discussion with spouse
---.: ·(:()!~'SlJl tati on wi th my attorney
___influenced by relatives
____court decision
other (describe) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

400 Has a deciSion been made regarding alimony? ---,es, _no

410 How did you arrive at a decis1~n in regard to alimony?

~
discussed with spouse

consultation with mY attorney

____court decision

430 How did you arrive at a decision in regard to visitation arrangements?

discussed with spouse

___consultation with mY attorney

---professiona' counseling

___court decision

___ch11dren s wishes

other
r. 440 How frequently do you think visitation should take place? _about once a
week, - more than once a week, -twice,
a month, ­ every few months,
f
:e­ _on s pecial occasions or vacat1,ons only, _never.

.' 45. What do you think is the value of child visitations?

;
___to maintain a contact between parent and child
1­

~rent has a right to visit the children

___to help the child feel secure and loved

___discipline the children

r
(-
___to help in other decisions concerning the children
_other (describe) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

460 Do you think the non-custodial parent should take an active role in child
rearing? ____Jyes, noo

470 If yes, please check areas in which the non-custodial paren~ should take
an active role.
_school involvement, _social activities, _dress, _driving, _dating,
_discipline, _allowance, _health, -"e11gious trainit1lg, _use of
child support money, _none, other, (describe) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

48. During the divorce proceedings, do you think it would be helpful to have
someone sit down with you and your' spouse in order to work out a parenting
relationship that would be the most beneficial for your children?
_ _yes, No.

490 Haye you noticed any change in your ch11dren'~ behavior in any of the following
areas? If so, please check.
HEAlTH:
_eating', _sleeping, _complaints of feel1'ng SiCK, _fearfulness,
___ ______________________________________________
o~rer
 SCHOOL:

f
____attendance, ~rades, ___classroom behavior.
,<
,' ..
f RELATIONS WITH:
_brothers & sisters, ---parents, -"e1ghbors, ---playmates & friends,
r

(-
~rand parents, ~ther relatives
f" _ _I have noticed no changes. ('

50. Are any of your children

~ • • f

in trouble with the pol ice or" other juven1l e

I'
authorities?
f
__-"yes, no

51. If yes to question 150, are they under the supervision of the Juvenile Court or
other agency?
_-"",yes, no, I don I t know

520 If yes to question #~l. what agency is providing supervision?

~uyenile Court, ~h1ldren Services Division, Maclaren School.
_Hillcrest School, _Youth Care Center, Other _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

530 Have any of your children been in trouble with the police or juvenile
authorities in the past? _--"yes, no Q

54. If yes to question 153, what agency t1ats... ~\Y-UrgJt~~n~' !~~t)('JI)1~i$·ion?

_Juvenile Court, .:.....,.Children Services Division, ~Maclaren School,

_Hillcrest School t, _Youth Care Center. _Other ___________

550 Have any of your children been in any trouble that WOuld ordinarily lead to
contact with police or juvenile authorities?
.-Jes, _noo

#.
a: Xla~ddY
,J:!

M;BMORANDUM

We would like you to know that the ~nformation gather­

.­
:.
ed through this questionnaire will have meaning and will
make contribution to the successful outcome of a research
project, designed to investigate the impact of divorce on
parents and children.
We seek to understand the process involved in reaching
the many decisions necessary when a person is divorcing.
We are interested in your perception of the process, and
there are no judgements being made as to how or why.
The interview will take approximately forty-five
minutes to one hour. I would like you to go through the
questionnaire and check off the answers as they apply to
you, being certain to answer each one.
I will be happy to answer any questions you may have
if the' meaning is not clear. After you have completed the
questionnaire, I will ask you to elaborate on some of the
questions and will tape that portion of the interview.
I really appreciate your cooperation.