Parental relationships, coping strategies, received support, and well-being in adolescents of separated or divorced and married parents.

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine the impact of the perceived quality of the parental relationship and family status on coping strategies, received support, and well-being in adolescents from separated or divorced and married parents. Two hundred forty-four matched adolescents from separated/divorced and married households were drawn from an initial sample of 1,044 students who were tested at five colleges and three high schools of a large metropolitan and rural area. Regression analyses supported the hypothesis that a perceived poor parental relationship, and not family status, was associated with low life satisfaction and sense of future, and high anxiety in adolescents of divorced and married households. Hierarchical regression techniques revealed that coping strategies and received support did not mediate the association between a perceived poor parental relationship and low levels of well-being in adolescents from divorced and married households. The findings underscore the importance of intervening with adolescents within the context of their family relationships.