Adult kids' relationships with their parents can be complicated, to say the least. And according to a new study out of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, a father's divorce and remarriage can make those relationships even more complex.
The research, published in the Journal of Marriage and Family's June 2013 issue, points out that a large number of children will have experienced a father's remarriage by the time they reach adulthood; indeed, about 75 percent of divorcés later remarry, and men remarry at higher rates than women.
So how does this re-partnering -- and the possible addition of new biological or stepkids to the family -- affect father-child relationships in adult life?
The research, which looked at nearly 5,000 adult children from the ongoing Health and Retirement Study, found that divorced fathers who re-partner after divorce tend to have weaker relationships with their adult children from a previous union than divorced fathers who remain single -- partly due to the effects of the father's new biological children or stepkids.
"Divorced mid- to late-life fathers who repartner have notably less contact with and are less likely to transfer money to their adult children from a prior union," the study concluded.
Previous research has indicated that divorce is detrimental to adult kids' relationships with their fathers, though this study is reportedly the first of its kind to look at the effect of a father's remarriage specifically.
Are you surprised by this finding? Let us know in the comments, then click through the slideshow below to learn about 10 other surprising divorce research findings from the last year.
