The primary purpose of the research was to explore and describe the effects of divorce on the psychosocial behaviour of adolescent learners from Newlands West. The secondary purpose, based on this research, was to formulate guidelines to improve the quality of interventions by educators in schools which will assist adolescents to cope with the challenges associated with divorce. The sample consisted of twenty participants between 12 and 18 years. Adolescents were selected for this study because they were mature enough to articulate their awareness and experiences of the divorce situation and family issues. They were from grades eight to twelve from New West Secondary School in Newlands West. The methodology used for this research was based on a qualitative paradigm. This ensured that data was rich and diverse in nature, especially since a small sample was used and it allowed each participant to provide indepth information regarding their experiences of their parents' divorce. The narrative interview was used and measures were applied to ensure trustworthiness. Interviews were tape recorded to ensure that the data was accurate. The researcher had access to this information and could continuously refer to it. It also allowed the researcher to listen attententively to the participants, without disrupting their flow of thought by writing or summarizing their responses. The researcher explained to the participants the purpose of the study and the same question was given to all participants, namely: "Could you tell me how the divorce of your parents has affected you?" The audio-taped interviews were transcribed and analysed. A descriptive analysis technique was used and central themes were identified. The themes which emerged were: ~ Adolescent learners' views on why their parents are getting divorced ~ Effect of the divorce on the adolescent learners ~ Sources of support for adolescent learners to cope with the divorce ~ Adolescent learners' views on parent reconciliation ~ Relationship of adolescent learners with non-custodial parent(s) The study concluded that divorce had a debilitating impact on the psychosocial behaviour of adolescents in this school and that there was a need for appropriate structures to be established to effectively address the issue in school. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, 2003.

The primary purpose of the study was the design and assessment of an intervention programme that seeks to help children cope with the crisis of divorce. The intervention was named the Kids in Divorce (KID) programme and is a short-term, developmentally appropriate intervention, consisting o f 10 sessions, aimed primarily at helping the pre-adolescent child. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether children receiving the intervention showed significant improvements in their emotional and attitudinal coping responses to divorce, as meausuredby the Family1 Story Test (FST) and the Kids in Divorce (KID) questionnaire (a self-designed measure). A pilot study was done on the KID questionnaire in order to, make the necessary changes, before using the questionnaire'for the study. 3 A total of 42 pupils, from schools in th | Eldoradopark 'coloured' community participated in the study. A pre and post test experimental-iBontrol research design was used in the study, The experimental and control groups consisted of 21 children \ each. \ . J r . Results of the study reflected significant improvements measures for the experimental group, which provides strong'cm pirical^nd^^.for'S'ie usefulness of a short-,erm, children cope with parental divorce.