Evaluations of self and parent figures by children from intact, divorced, and reconstituted families

A total of 738 children in grades 5-8 from 14 school districts in Kansas voluntarily evaluated themselves, their mothers, and their fathers. The results of this study indicated that children from intact families tended to evaluate themselves and their parents more positively than those from divorced families. Children from remarried families, as opposed to children from nonremarried families, were found to evaluate themselves somewhat more positively, their fathers significantly more positively, and their mothers less favorably. Explanations are offered to account for these findings.