Divorce versus intact parental marriage and perceived risk and dyadic trust in present heterosexual relationships

The relationship between parental divorce and intimate relationships in late adolescence was estimated for 60 undergraduates (17 men, 43 women). Subjects from divorced families were assessed to address whether they perceived their present heterosexual relationship to be risky and if they were less trusting of their partners than were subjects from intact families. Divorce appears to be transmitted through generations in a family. Dyadic Trust and Perceived Risk were investigated as two learned components passed down within families, thereby contributing to a cycle of divorce. A correlation was found between parents' marital status and children's trust in their dating partners. An inverse relationship was indicated; when ratings of trust are low, ratings of perceived risk are high. A possible order of this relationship was discussed, i.e., low dyadic trust preceded perceived risk. One implication of these findings was that children of divorced parents may benefit from being shown how failures in relationships may result from negative expectations.