"Almost half of children of divorces enter adulthood as worried, under-achieving, self-deprecating, and sometimes angry young men and women," reports Judith Wallerstein, director of the Center for the Family in Transition and author of Second Chance (Ticknor & Fields, 1988). Her conclusion is drawn from interviews conducted over a 15 year period with 60 families, mostly white middle class.

Other Wallerstein findings:

--Three out of five youngsters felt rejected by at least one parent

--Half grew up in settings in which the parents were warring with each other even after the divorce.