Handbook of Divorce and Relationship Dissolution (Hardcover, New)

This comprehensive handbook presents the most up-to-date scholarship on divorce and the dissolution of relationships. It integrates work on the causes, processes, consequences, and policy implications of relationship dissolution. Featuring contributions from leading scholars from multiple disciplines, this Handbook reviews the patterns and processes involved in relationship termination, including why they may vary depending on such factors as legal status, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Chapters distinguish what is known about divorce from what is known about other types of relationship dissolution (dating, cohabiting, and gay and lesbian relationships). Each contributor considers their topic with respect to different types of relationships and to the commonalities and differences across these different relationship forms. divorce/relationship dissolution; causes and predictors of divorce/dissolution; consequences of divorce/dissolution on families; diversity and multicultural variations in divorce/dissolution processes and consequences; and legal, educational, and mediational interventions to facilitate healthy adaptation to relationship dissolution. The book focuses on the often-neglected processes involved as the relationship unfolds, such as infidelity, hurt, disaffection, remarriage, and the impact on stepfamilies. Diversity is addressed through the inclusion of separate chapters on gay and lesbian, Hispanic, and African American relationships, and the integration of diversity issues throughout the book wherever possible. The book's wide variety of theories and quantitative and qualitative research approaches provide important insights. Three concluding commentaries from highly accomplished scholars, Alan Booth, Robert Weiss, and Ellen Berscheid, provide a macro overview of this diverse field and recommendations for future research and policy directions. groundbreaking applications on: the legal and policy aspects of divorce, such as attempts to make divorce more difficult to obtain; educational programs for parents experiencing divorce; and mediation, the most commonly utilized alternative to traditional legal approaches to resolving divorce. The alarming increase of divorce and relationship dissolution in our society has resulted in increased research activity in a wide variety of disciplines. Until now, there was not one resource that reviewed this insightful research.