Predictors of threat to self-appraisals for children from divorced homes

This study examined the contribution of variables in the domains of event, child, and family contextual characteristics to predict children's threat to self-appraisals (negative self-evaluation; negative evaluation by others; rejection from others) for negative events. One hundred and forty-three children ages 8-12 and their mothers who experienced divorce participated in two assessments separated by 5.5 months. Children made appraisal ratings for two events. The domain of child characteristics, assessed at Time 1, uniquely predicted Time 2 threat to self-appraisals. Time 2 event characteristics were significantly associated with Time 2 threat to self-appraisals. The family contextual characteristics domain was not a unique predictor. Implications of these findings are discussed.