How teenage girls thrive in a divorce

British Psychological Society Conference

THE BREAK-UP of a family may be better for teenage girls than if their parents stay together, according to a study.

The strong relationship which tends to develop between sole mothers and their teenage daughters after divorce offers a degree of protection and support which may be lacking in two-parent families.

However, the study found that sons of sole mothers showed signs of greater psychological distress and felt they had less independence and were more controlled.

The study of 156 children aged 15-16 from broken homes found that teenage daughters of sole mothers were better adjusted psychologically than their peers in two-parent families.

Dr Tony Cassidy, of Coventry University, who conducted the study presented at the British Psychological Society's Conference in London yesterday, said adolescence was a difficult time for all families but there was a danger that in two-parent families the common difficulties of adolescence were dismissed as "typical teenage problems".

In single-parent families, mothers tended to become closer to their daughters, developing a mutually supportive relationship which encouraged the teenagers to achieve and to succeed.

Dr Cassidy said: "It almost sounds as if family break-up is good for girls. The 15-16 group is a difficult age and in two-parent families the problems tended to be endured rather than dealt with. In single-parent families the mother was more concerned to examine the relationship."

With boys, the picture was less clear. They tended to be more distressed by the break-up of the family but the presence of a father figure (the majority of sole parents are still mothers) might have encouraged greater independence.

The level of distress suffered by teenagers depended on the way their families had taught them to cope. Families that tackled problems rather than avoiding them, giving their children the confidence to deal with events, were more resilient. A moderate degree of conflict seemed to enhance their capacity to cope with stress.

Dr Cassidy said: "Families where children feel comfortable about arguing and who encourage problem-solving strategies tend to have better coping skills."

Spreading a little happiness among England's beleaguered cricketers, who this week lost the Ashes to Australia, could help reverse their fortunes, a psychologist claimed at the conference.

Dr Peter Totterdell, of Sheffield University, said teaching players to feel good about themselves was as important as practising in the nets. Research among 33 professional county cricketers showed a clear link between performance and mood. Happiness, energy, enthusiasm and focus all assisted better performance in batsmen. Among bowlers, mental strain and tension was associated with worst performance.