The Postdivorce Family

Paul Amato (Ph.D., 1983, Social Psychology, James Cook University, Australia) is the Arnold and Bette Hoffman Professor of Family Sociology and Demography at The Pennsylvania State University. His research and teaching interests include marital quality, causes and consequences of divorce, parent-child relationships over the life course, and psychological distress and well-being. He is a four-time winner of the National Council on Family Relations Reuben Hill Award for best published article, and has won many other awards and distinctions, such as the 2008 NCFR Ernest Burgess Award for outstanding scholarly and career achievement, the Distinguished Career Award from the American Sociological Association Section on Sociology of the Family, and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts Stanley Cohen Distinguished Research Award. He conducted research in India under a Fulbright Fellowship, and is the author of 129 journal articles and book chapters on marriage and divorce and such books as Alone Together: How Marriage in America is Changing (Harvard University Press, 2007), The Postdivorce Family (SAGE 1999), and A Generation at Risk: Growing Up in an Era of Family Upheaval (Harvard University Press, 1997). In addition, he has served as Deputy Editor of the Journal of Marriage and Family and as an Editorial Board member for eight journals on sociology, family, and personal relationships.

This book analyzes the issues surrounding divorce and its implications for public policy. The authors integrate research and policy perspectives of scholars in various disciplines to focus on the consequences of divorce for children, the parents' responsibilities after divorce, nonresidential parenting, and the effects of a high divorce rate in society.

The Postdivorce Family - Ross A Thompson and Paul R Amato An Introduction to the IssuesPART ONE: THE CONSEQUENCES OF DIVORCE FOR CHILDRENPostdivorce Family Life for Children - Robert E Emery An Overview of Research and Some Implications for PolicyCauses and Consequences of Divorce - Alan Booth Reflections on Recent ResearchPART TWO: PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITY AFTER DIVORCEThe Custody of Children of Divorcing Families - Eleanor E Maccoby Weighing the AlternativesImproving the Law Relating to Postdivorce Arrangements for Children - Katharine T BartlettPART THREE: NONRESIDENTIAL PARENTINGNoncustodial Fathers and Their Impact on the Children of Divorce - Michael E LambCompliance with Child Support Orders in Paternity and Divorce Cases - Daniel R MeyerPART FOUR: DIVORCE AND SOCIETYThe Postdivorce Society - Paul R Amato shaping the Family and Other Forms of Social OrganizationValues, Policy and Research on Divorce - Ross A Thompson and Jennifer M Wyatt Seeking Fairness for Children