Question at position 8 13-year old Kanwell’s parents are going through a divorce. They are not openly hostile to each other and are trying to handle this life change in a civil and pleasant manner. According to the research, which of the following is most likely for Kanwell?13-year old Kanwell’s parents are going through a divorce. They are not openly hostile to each other and are trying to handle this life change in a civil and pleasant manner. According to the research, which of the following is most likely for Kanwell?he will not have long-term problems with his adjustmentKanwell can expect to have long-term relationship problems with womenbecause he is a boy, Kanwell is likely to have a better relationship with his father than his motherhe is going to experience both short- and long-term adjustment problemsbecause he is a boy, Kanwell is likely to have a better relationship with his mother than his fatherSingle choice
A
he will not have long-term problems with his adjustment
B
Kanwell can expect to have long-term relationship problems with women
C
because he is a boy, Kanwell is likely to have a better relationship with his father than his mother
D
he is going to experience both short- and long-term adjustment problems
E
because he is a boy, Kanwell is likely to have a better relationship with his mother than his father

Question

Question at position 8 13-year old Kanwell’s parents are going through a divorce. They are not openly hostile to each other and are trying to handle this life change in a civil and pleasant manner. According to the research, which of the following is most likely for Kanwell?13-year old Kanwell’s parents are going through a divorce. They are not openly hostile to each other and are trying to handle this life change in a civil and pleasant manner. According to the research, which of the following is most likely for Kanwell?he will not have long-term problems with his adjustmentKanwell can expect to have long-term relationship problems with womenbecause he is a boy, Kanwell is likely to have a better relationship with his father than his motherhe is going to experience both short- and long-term adjustment problemsbecause he is a boy, Kanwell is likely to have a better relationship with his mother than his fatherSingle choice

A

he will not have long-term problems with his adjustment

B

Kanwell can expect to have long-term relationship problems with women

C

because he is a boy, Kanwell is likely to have a better relationship with his father than his mother

D

he is going to experience both short- and long-term adjustment problems

E

because he is a boy, Kanwell is likely to have a better relationship with his mother than his father

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The question asks us to evaluate likely outcomes for a 13-year-old whose parents are divorcing but are handling it civilly. We will assess each option in turn before highlighting the rationale for the chosen one.
Option 1: 'he will not have long-term problems with his adjustment'—This statement aligns with research suggesting that many children of divorce may experience some short-term distress, but long-term adjustment is often not permanently impaired, especially when parents remain cooperative and maintain routines and support. It represents a more optimistic, but not impossible, overall trajectory.
Option 2: 'Kanwell can expect to have long-term relationship problems with women'—While parental divorce can influence relationship patterns, stating a guaranteed or long-term problem with all future relationships is an overgeneralization. Many variables (attachment, dating experiences, therapy, support networks) influence such outcomes, and the option assumes a fixed negative pattern without acknowledging variability.
Option 3: 'because he is a boy, Kanwell is likely to have a better relationship with his father than his mother'—Gender-based assumptions about parent-child relationships are not reliably supported across research. Although some youths may show stronger alignment with one parent, the claim that all boys will have a better relationship with their father than their mother is an overgeneralization that ignores individual family dynamics and parenting quality.
Option 4: 'he is going to experience both short- and long-term adjustment problems'—This is a plausible possibility for some children, especially if conflict is high or support is limited; however, the stem notes that parents are civil and pleasant, which reduces risk. Saying he will certainly experience both short- and long-term problems overstates the typical course in this situation.
Option 5: 'because he is a boy, Kanwell is likely to have a better relationship with his mother than his father'—This presents a gender-stereotyped expectation that mothers are more important to sons in adjustment, which is not a universal rule and can be contradicted by individual family circumstances. It also asserts a directional outcome without sufficient generalizable evidence for all cases.
Overall, the options vary in how strongly they align with typical findings under civil, low-conflict divorce conditions. The first option captures the empirical nuance that long-term adjustment is often not permanently damaged when parental conflict is minimized and support remains stable, while the others rely on overgeneralizations or absolute predictions that research does not uniformly support.