Kilmann, Carranza and, Vendetta (2006) hypothesised that females from intact families would report a more secure attachment pattern than females from divorced families. While Shek and Leung (2013) hypothesised that adolescents from intact families would report better positive youth development outcomes and higher life satisfaction compared to those of non-intact families. Both studies predict that children that come from intact families will have concrete family structures and experiences, while those from divorced families will experience more issues with attachment and negative views in their life. Their studies, however, have multiple different aspects in the ways they conduct their research. Kilmann, Carranza and, Vendetta (2006) conducted their study using a qualitative research method by interviewing 147 females from intact biological parent families and 157 females of parental divorced families. As Shek and Leung (2013), used a quantitative research method and distributed questionnaires throughout 28 different participating secondary schools in Hong Kong. Opposed to Kilmann, Carranza and, Vendetta, Shek and Leung focused on all sexualities, their study consisted of “1,719 males, 1,572 females, and 37 students which did not indicate their gender” (Shek and Leung, 2013) they also focused their study on a younger age group.
In their findings, Kilmann, Carranza and, Vendetta (2006) found that women from intact nuclear families showed to have higher self-esteem and a higher expectation towards others, they believed individuals could be trusted and relied on. As opposed to women who came from divorced families that reported to have negative self-esteem and a less secure attachment towards other individuals. In correspondence to this, Shek and Leung (2013) found that due to divorce or remarriage, it caused a weakened relationship between the parent and child that highly affected their trust and attachment to their parents and other relations. However, with this finding they also discovered that due to this weakened relationship and trust the child tends to seek emotional attachment by becoming more involved in peer relationships instead. By becoming more involved in peer relations they fill that void of trust and emotional detachment that is missing in their home life.
Meanwhile, Kilmann, Carranza and, Vendetta (2013) found that the women who participated in their study reported that they experienced greater relationship problems in their private lives. Both studied found that divorce can impact an individual’s sense of self-worth and security and can interfere with not only their relationships with their parents but also their relationship with other individuals. However, the study which focused on secondary students found that their relationships with others tend to be more secure as opposed to the females in college that found their other relations to be more problematic and had difficulty finding a sense of security.
Many findings and prior research suggests that children that experience multiple emotional and environmental changes due to parental conflicts have a higher chance of participating in deviant behaviours as opposed to those which do not. Mance and Yu (2010) conducted a study which focused on examining the differences in the outcomes of young adults in Australia from non-intact families on four measures: “educational attainment; being suspended from school; regular smoking; and trouble with police” (Mance and Yu, 2010). They focused their study on the reasoning behind the negative attitudes and behaviours of those from non-intact families. In Shek and Leung (2013) study they also hypothesised that children from intact families would be less likely to engage in problematic behaviours, as compared to adolescents from disrupted families. However, unlike Mance and Yu, they focused on the relationship between family structure and how these changes may impact deviant behaviours as opposed to exterior factors, which lead to a few different findings.
In their findings, Shek and Leung (2013) found that those adolescents from intact families displayed higher levels of positive youth development and were less likely to engage in problematic behaviours compared to those from divorced families. However, they also discovered “adolescents from both intact and non-intact families did not differ in their recognition of positive behaviours” (Shek and Leung, 2013) meaning that children were aware of when they were engaging in negative behaviours. Since Mance and Yu focused on the reasonings behind negative behaviours they did not reach this similar discovery that children are making this conscious decision. Instead, Mance and Yu (2010) discovered that most children who part took in these behaviours came from disadvantaged neighbourhoods and unstable housing and schooling conditions. Also, that because of the “higher exposure to government income support and this resulted in more conflicted parent-youth relationships” (Mance and Yu, 2010) and due to these parental conflicts it lead to the subconscious use of substances and school expulsion.
Shek and Leung (2013) found that regarding life satisfaction, those adolescents from intact families were more satisfied with their lives than those from non-intact families. Due to this, they were less likely to engage in problematic behaviours. These particular behaviours reported include:
“Lower levels of substance use, delinquency, intention to engage in problem behaviours, internet addiction, exposure to sexual materials, deliberate self-harm, and suicidal behaviours. The above findings are consistent with the predictions of the study and support thesis that family has impact on adolescent behaviours.”
(Shek and Leung, 2013)
Meanwhile, Mance and Yu focused on how children from non-intact families participated on deviant behaviours and what the factors were associated with that behaviour, whether it was due to parental conflicts or transitions. Mance and Yu (2010) discovered that children from non-intact families that experienced higher displays of parental conflicts show higher risk’s of getting in trouble with the police, although, in this particular case the number of relationship transitions did not have an impact. However, they did find that conflict between the child-parents and the transition of multiple relationships; Nuclear family, to lone parent house hold, to blended family, to be highly associated with the chances of being expelled or suspended from school.
Kilmann, Carranza and, Vendetta (2006) studied how those females also viewed and rated their parents. College women from intact families rated their biological fathers and mothers positively as opposed to those women of parental divorce. In relation to this, Kilmann, Carranza and, Vendetta (2006) research found that parental divorce fosters emotional vulnerability and stress in children, feelings of anger, conflicting loyalties, and a more negative parent-child relationship. Due to the many emotions, financial and social changes that come with divorce, their findings display that it is harder for parents in these situations to provide a stable, positive, nurturing environment for their children. Meanwhile Mance and Yu (2010) found that the emotional vulnerability and negative views is not necessarily due to parents but is dominantly related to individual, and exterior factors associated with the negative outcomes for children that are more prevalent in families who separate and re-partner. Many of these young adults in Mance and Yu (2010) survey reported poor relationships with their stepfathers, also reported poor relationships with their mothers and vice versa due to home changes.