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Charting self-esteem during marital dissolution.

Wiebke Bleidorn¹, Ted Schwaba¹, Jaap J A Denissen²

¹Department of Psychology, University of California Davis, Davis, California.

Journal of Personality

|November 16, 2019

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Divorce often leads to a significant drop in self-esteem before separation, with individual factors like financial hardship influencing this decline. Post-divorce, self-esteem tends to stabilize, offering potential for personal growth.

Keywords:

divorce life events longitudinal marital dissolution self-esteem

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Area of Science:

Psychology
Sociology
Human Development

Background:

Marital dissolution is a significant life transition impacting individual well-being.
Understanding self-esteem changes during divorce is crucial for mental health support.

Purpose of the Study:

To track self-esteem fluctuations before and after marital dissolution.
To identify key factors influencing self-esteem trajectories during this period.

Main Methods:

Longitudinal analysis of self-esteem data from 291 divorcees over 10 years.
Utilized data from a nationally representative panel study in the Netherlands.
Examined moderator variables affecting self-esteem changes.

Main Results:

Average self-esteem decreased significantly prior to divorce and stabilized post-divorce.
Individual differences in self-esteem trajectories were substantial.
Financial hardship, religious affiliation, and low conscientiousness predicted greater self-esteem decline.

Conclusions:

Repeated assessments before and after divorce are vital for understanding adaptation.
Divorce can be viewed as an opportunity to escape unhappy marital circumstances.
Self-esteem trajectories are influenced by a complex interplay of personal and situational factors.