NCJ Number
119897
Journal
Youth and Society Volume: 21 Issue: 1 Dated: (September 1989) Pages: 85-104
Date Published
1989
Length
20 pages
Annotation
Divorce affects relationships with fathers negatively, and challenges intimacy toward meaningful others such as the mother and friends.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess the intensity of intimacy toward parents and friends in divorced and intact families. Both families were represented in a sample consisting of 208 children in the fifth and sixth grades in a large city in Israel. Two self-report scales were used: the Sharabany Intimacy Scale and the Peer-Relationship Scale. Findings indicate that low intimacy scores toward the father in divorced families are probably associated with predivorce dynamics and the postdivorce low rate of the father's availability. Also, children who were less intimately attached to their fathers did not report higher intimate relations toward their mother or best friend. These results seem to support the hypothesis that intimacy, that is, the ability to relate closely to others, is significantly affected by family status. 4 tables, 46 references.