Relocation, parent conflict, and domestic violence: Independent risk factors for children of divorce

We performed several re-analyses of data presented in Braver, Ellman, and Fabricius (2003) to examine whether their findings that parental relocation after divorce was associated with negative long-term outcomes in their grown children could be due to pre-existing levels of parent conflict and domestic violence. Conflict and violence might have caused parents to relocate, and might have caused the negative outcomes. Evidence from analyses of covariance, controlling for levels of conflict and violence (as reported by the grown children), confirmed that relocation was associated with negative outcomes over and above the associations of conflict and violence with negative outcomes. These new findings support the original recommendation of Braver et al. that "courts should give greater weight to the child's separate interests in deciding such [relocation] cases" (p. 206). Additionally, there was little indication that moves reduced levels of conflict, but that finding is tentative.