| This was a cross sectional study aimed at evaluating the potential psychological and health-related outcomes associated with relocation among adult children from divorced families. This research was designed to add to the limited empirical literature in the social sciences pertaining to the long-term effects of post-divorce relocation, and to aid in the challenging legal decision-making process regarding relocation cases. Data from 701 participants from the United States, aged 18 years and older, were collected for this study. The primary objectives of this study were: (1) to examine if post-divorce relocation with a custodial parent away from a noncustodial parent was associated with long-term negative psychological and health-related outcomes compared to adult children of divorce who never relocated; and (2) to examine if post-divorce relocation with a custodial parent away from a noncustodial parent was associated with greater long-term negative psychological and health-related outcomes compared to adult children from intact families who experienced a relocation during childhood. Participants who relocated within the context of divorce had significantly worse behavioral health outcomes when compared to participants who did not relocate within the context of divorce and when compared to participants who relocated within the context of an intact family. These results were robust, even after controlling for gender, age, and multiple adverse childhood life events. |
