Volume 33 - Article 40 | Pages 1137–1152  

Non-resident parent-child contact after marital dissolution and parental repartnering: Evidence from Italy

By Silvia Meggiolaro, Fausta Ongaro

Abstract

Background: With the diffusion of marital instability, the number of children who spend some of their childhood without one of their parents has become significant, even in Italy. Therefore, given the importance of parent-child interactions for children’s wellbeing, analyzing children's contact with the non-resident parent has become relevant.

Objective: In this paper we consider the frequency of contact between children and their non- resident parent after separation, with a double aim: a) to analyze if and how the non- resident parent’s contact with his/her children varies according to whether the (resident or non-resident) parent has repartnered, and b) to investigate whether the relationship between repartnering and contact differs according to the gender of the non-resident parent.

Methods: The study focuses on children aged 0-17 living with only one biological parent, using data pooled together from two cross-sectional rounds of the Italian survey, Family and Social Subjects.

Results: Results show that parents' repartnering is positively associated with lower non-resident parent-child contact only in the case of non-resident fathers; in the case of a non- resident mother, her repartnering is actually correlated with higher contact.

Author’s Affiliation

• Silvia Meggiolaro - Università degli Studi di Padova (UNIPD), Italy EMAIL
• Fausta Ongaro - Università degli Studi di Padova (UNIPD), Italy EMAIL

Other articles by the same author/authors in Demographic Research

The implications of marital instability for a woman’s fertility: Empirical evidence from Italy
Volume 23 - Article 34

Repartnering after marital dissolution: Does context play a role?
Volume 19 - Article 57

Diverse pathways in young Italians’ entrance into sexual life: The association with gender and birth cohort
Volume 46 - Article 13

Social policies, separation, and second birth spacing in Western Europe
Volume 37 - Article 37

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