Work or marriage? competence in custodial mothers in the stabilization phase of the divorce process

Sense of competence, time perspective, and state-anxiety of custodial mothers in the “stabilization phase” of the divorce process were examined. These mothers had a more integrative general and parental sense of competence as well as lower levels of state-anxiety as compared to mothers located in the earlier phases of divorce, as predicted by a developmental model of divorce. Mothers in this phase who denied and overrated parental competence, however, had children who displayed poorer adjustment. While mothers had an integrative sense of competence on sex-stereotyped roles considered appropriate, such as housekeeper, they had a less integrative sense of competence on out-of-role tasks like provider, with domestic and occupational roles found to be incompatible. Similarly, mothers who hmeased their employaxmt level postdivorce valued remarriage less. In wntrast to tbe divorce model presented, mothers' tirne perspective was found to be discontinuous, the past being rated significantlym ore negatively than the present and future. Divorced mothers also displayed high levels of stateanger which correlated negatively with thew ratings of the past, these ratings being related to poor adjustment in children. Treatment and research implications were discussed.