As predicted, children from divorced families had significantly more behavior problems than peers from intact families, and these problems were evident immediately after the separation and later on, in early and middle adolescence. This is an important finding, because many studies and reviews of divorce have concluded that children return to typical functioning after the first two years following the divorce (Amato, 1994, 2001; Hetherington, 1999; Kelly & Emery, 2003).