Adult children’s estrangement from parents in Germany — Arránz Becker & Hank
Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2026 5:53 pm
Adult children’s estrangement from parents in Germany
Oliver Arránz Becker & Karsten Hank — Journal of Marriage and Family — 2022
This open-access study uses ten waves of longitudinal data from the German Family Panel, covering 10,228 participants, to examine estrangement from biological mothers and fathers during young and middle adulthood.
Estrangement was defined as either no contact or substantial emotional distance. Across the study period, 20% of participants experienced a period of estrangement from their father and 9% from their mother.
The research also found that estrangement was often temporary rather than permanent, and that family structure, parental separation and relationships with other parental figures were important factors.
Why we’ve included it:
This is one of the strongest large-scale European studies of parent–adult child estrangement. It is particularly useful because it follows relationships over time rather than taking a single snapshot, and it highlights the greater vulnerability of father–adult child relationships.
The findings relate to Germany and should not automatically be assumed to apply directly to the UK.
Read the full open-access article at Wiley
Reference: Arránz Becker, O. & Hank, K. (2022). Adult children’s estrangement from parents in Germany. Journal of Marriage and Family, 84(1), 347–360.
Inclusion in our library means we believe this item is relevant to understanding parent–adult child estrangement. It does not mean Estranged Parents endorses every interpretation or conclusion expressed.
Oliver Arránz Becker & Karsten Hank — Journal of Marriage and Family — 2022
This open-access study uses ten waves of longitudinal data from the German Family Panel, covering 10,228 participants, to examine estrangement from biological mothers and fathers during young and middle adulthood.
Estrangement was defined as either no contact or substantial emotional distance. Across the study period, 20% of participants experienced a period of estrangement from their father and 9% from their mother.
The research also found that estrangement was often temporary rather than permanent, and that family structure, parental separation and relationships with other parental figures were important factors.
Why we’ve included it:
This is one of the strongest large-scale European studies of parent–adult child estrangement. It is particularly useful because it follows relationships over time rather than taking a single snapshot, and it highlights the greater vulnerability of father–adult child relationships.
The findings relate to Germany and should not automatically be assumed to apply directly to the UK.
Read the full open-access article at Wiley
Reference: Arránz Becker, O. & Hank, K. (2022). Adult children’s estrangement from parents in Germany. Journal of Marriage and Family, 84(1), 347–360.
Inclusion in our library means we believe this item is relevant to understanding parent–adult child estrangement. It does not mean Estranged Parents endorses every interpretation or conclusion expressed.