Mothers’ Post-Divorce Dating Transitions After Multiple Divorces and Maternal Well-Being

Divorce can be difficult for mothers as they typically experience declines in family income and social network, as well as increases in parenting responsibilities. Given that many individuals remarry and cohabit after divorce, it is crucial to understand the consequences of dating relationships that precede these serious relationship transitions for maternal well-being. Generally, forming new relationships tends to be beneficial for mothers, particularly if the relationship is high quality; however, it is unclear if post-divorce dating relationships may be beneficial for mothers who have experienced more than one divorce. Guided by the divorce-stress-adaptation perspective, this study examined the extent to which mothers’ post-divorce dating transitions predicted maternal well-being for those who experienced two or more divorces. Data were drawn from a longitudinal study of mothers (N = 316; 73 reported multiple divorces), who completed a monthly survey regarding their dating experiences for 2 years following divorce filing. Results reveal that for mothers who divorced two or more times, forming a new dating relationship can result in short-term declines in life satisfaction and increases in depressive symptoms, unless the relationship is reported as high quality. Implications for post-divorce adjustment are discussed.