The purpose of this study was to add to the body of literature examining the relationship between parental divorce and trust and intimacy in young adults. Much of the previous research was based on narrow populations of college students, and did not include older young adults between the ages of 22 and 30. Additionally, much of the previous research examined individuals who were young adults in the 1960's, 1970's, and 1980's. In this quantitative study, the trust and intimacy levels of young adults were compared for young adults from divorced and non-divorced families. The participants were young adults from divorced and non-divorced families between the ages of 22 and 30. They participated participate in an online survey composed of two instruments: The Experiences in Close Relationship Inventory-Revised (Fraley, Waller, & Brennan, 2000) and the Intimacy Attitude Scale (Amidon, 1985).

Independent t-tests were used to examine the data and non-significant results were obtained, suggesting that parent's marital status does not impact trust and intimacy in young adults (t (199) = 1.504, p>.05, p= .134). The results do not support much of the previous literature regarding the effects of parental divorce on relationship dynamics in young adults. This may be due to methodological differences in the current study or may reflect a difference in the general population. The current study has limited generalizability due to the sample. Implications for clinical practice and recommendations for future research are discussed.