Sydney (dpa) - We all know that divorce changes childhood but recent research has shown that the upheaval is not necessarily bad for children.
A groundbreaking study conducted in Britain last year found that many children from broken homes had gone on to have loving relationships with both of their parents.
Now, research in Australia shows that children of mothers who remain single throughout their upbringing are no more likely to suffer depression or anxiety than teenagers from two-parent families.
Queensland University psychologist Sue Spence, reviewing the experience of 4,000 families, found that mothers were much more likely to report their teenagers distressed if they were in messy relationships.
"Being a stable single parent was not a risk factor on its own Professor Spence said.
Risk factors in teenage depression were seen to be home environments where parents seemed to be at war and where one or both parents suffered from depression.
"Living in a good relationship produced the best outcome in terms of depression and anxiety in teenagers," Spence concluded from her research.
"What turned out to be the issue really was either living with couples who were fighting a lot or going through separation and divorce or having multiple partners."
She said that mothers who themselves had been anxious and depressed during the first five years of a child's life were more likely to encounter problems in the child's teenage years.
dpa
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