Helping children and adults cope with parental infidelity

Abstract

This article addresses the impact of discovered marital infidelity on the couple's young children, adolescents, and adult children. It distinguishes between two types of infidelity, affairs and womanizing, and suggests differential treatments for each. Treatment must address the impact of the secrecy, which is always part of infidelity, and the boundary violations that occur when a child is directly involved in the infidelity or in its aftermath. Four clinical cases illustrate therapeutic interventions for children suffering from their parent's infidelity. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol/In Session 61: 1439–1451, 2005.