Data will be collected using a survey instrument. The instrument will be designed by researchers for the purposes of this particular study and will feature two sections. The first section will ask for some brief familial and biographical information. First and foremost, the survey will ask the life and marital status of the respondents' parents, accounting for single mothers, single fathers, legal non-biological guardians, divorced parents, remarried parents and married

In regard to how a child's sense of family is affected by the remarriage of either parent, Ahrons points out that binuclear families have proven to be rather undesirable. This is more so the case given the unusual combination of both blood and non-blood relationships which according to Ahrons could effectively defy clear definition of roles. Findings from this study as the author further points out clearly indicate that children

There is a typical decline in the standard of living of mother-headed families, for children of divorce, that often pushes them below the poverty level. A number of developmental problem, in children, are associated with a lack of economic resources. A child's nutrition and health may be negatively affected by economic hardship. Educational items such as: private lessons, educational toys, computers, and books are also often difficult for single-parent

Divorce The break-up of a marriage involving children in the middle childhood stage is an increasingly frequent occurrence in modern society. Children experience these divorces in a variety of ways, depending on the quality of the relationship between the parents and children. Either way, the effect upon self-esteem could be significant. Children learn behavior patterns from parents. When parents face self-esteem issues from being unable to make their relationship work, this

Among the factors which this article elucidates are necessary to be considered, Hetherington et al. indicate that "the long-term effects are related more to the child's developmental status, sex, and temperament; the qualities of the home and parenting environments; and to the resources and support systems available to the parents and child than they are to divorce or remarriage per se." (Hetherington et al., 303) From a clinical treatment perspective,

Anti-Social Behavior A good number of studies over the years have linked deviant behaviors such as juvenile delinquency and anti-social behavior to children living in broken homes (Bandura & Walters in Demo & Acock, 1988, p.636). Dornbusch et al.'s (in ibid.) nationwide study among 12-17 male and female children of divorced families found that adolescents living in household with only their mothers performing the sole parent role are more likely to