2026-04-02
Beyda Çineli, Zafer Buyukkececi
Objective: This study examines how later-life parental divorce is associated with changes in adult sibling relationships, focusing on contact, emotional closeness, intimacy, and conflict. Background: Divorce is becoming increasingly common among older adults which is referred to as "gray divorce". Although couple dissolution has implications for broader family dynamics, less is known about how later-life parental divorce shapes relationships among adult children. Prior research on sibling relationships has primarily focused on childhood and adolescence and has often relied on cross-sectional designs. Understanding how later-life parental divorce relates to adult sibling ties is important, given the central role siblings play in providing emotional and practical support across the life course. Method: We use four waves of longitudinal data from the German Family Panel and employ fixed-effects models to examine within-individual changes in sibling contact, emotional closeness, intimacy, and conflict following later-life parental divorce. Results: The frequency of contact and emotional closeness between adult siblings decreases following later-life parental divorce. Additional analyses indicate that female-male and male-male sibling dyads are more likely to experience increased conflict after later-life parental divorce compared to female–female dyads. Conclusion: Later-life parental divorce is associated with meaningful changes in adult sibling relationships, suggesting that its consequences extend beyond the dissolving couple. Contrary to the assumption that divorce in later life has limited implications for adult children, our findings indicate that it may reshape sibling dynamics in complex ways.
2026-03-04
Claudia Recksiedler, Diana Schacht, Simone Schüller, Christina Boll, Christine Entleitner-Phleps, Alexandra Langmeyer, Sabine Walper, Claudia Zerle-Elsäßer
Objective: This study presents the "Post-Separation Family" (PSF) module within the panel study "Growing Up in Germany" (German title: Aufwachsen In Deutschland: Alltagswelten [AID:A]) and discusses its contribution to providing information on diverse post-separation family constellations in Germany. Background: Rates of separation and divorce are persistently high in Western societies, and post-separation families are increasingly diverse and complex. However, official statistics and large-scale surveys in Germany often lack detailed data on post-separation family constellations, particularly regarding non-resident parents. Method: The PSF module in AID:A collects comprehensive information on everyday practices, conflicts, and parental care involvement of a wide range of family constellations. It enables the classification of diverse family constellations, such as single parents and stepfamilies, and includes data on non-resident parents. Results: In 2019, about 23% of families with minors were post-separation families with a non-resident parent (i.e., 17% single-parents, 6% stepfamilies). About 12% of minors in post-separation families practiced a shared care arrangement according to the PSF module data. Key measures on post-separation care arrangements can be further linked to the broad spectrum of outcomes collected in AID:A (e.g., economic hardship, subjective well-being, and parental education). Conclusion: The PSF module represents a concise instrument for analyzing post-separation family diversity in Germany, which could lay the groundwork for national and international comparisons of diverse family constellations if adopted in other surveys.
2026-02-12
Fabienne Décieux, Eva-Maria Schmidt, Ulrike Zartler
Objective: This paper examines how mothers deal with their emotions related to their mothering practices in the early phase of motherhood, and analyzes which practices they use to work on their emotions. Background: Emotions and emotion work are regarded as integral and highly gendered parts of family work, which includes mothers as primary caregivers. However, the complex relation between mothers' emotions and their practices of mothering is yet to be fully understood. This study analyzes this relation by combining a social constructivist approach with a praxeological perspective. Method: The empirical results draw on an in-depth thematic and reconstructive sequential analysis of 23 semi-structured interviews with mothers in Austria whose youngest child was under the age of two. Results: Two bundles of practices of emotion work were identified: first, "changing conditions" (with practices of avoiding or preparing); and, second, "changing emotions" (with practices of suppressing, deep acting, and toning down guilt). Results explicate how mothers’ emotions and practices of emotion work are centered around the fundamental feeling rule of achieving positivity. This fundamental feeling rule includes numerous emotions that mothers work for with the aim of ensuring their child’s happiness and adequate development. Conclusion: Mothers' practices of emotion work mirror subjectivation and (gendered) responsibilization, and are therefore related to neoliberal ideals. Mothers act as invisible emotion workers to ensure the happiness and development of their child.