M.A. (Clinical psychology) / A plethora of psychological research on the topic of divorce exists. The impact of parental divorce on the children, however, is much disputed in this literature. The present study‟s aim was to attempt to clarify this dilemma by describing the unique experiences of four adolescent males whose parents divorced when they were at a very young age. A qualitative research design was followed. Data was collected in the form of face-to-face interviews or „conversations‟ with the four respondents. Verbatim transcriptions of these conversations were then explored systematically from the hermeneutic tradition in order to understand the distinctive experiences of these four boys, from the time of their parents‟ divorce to the present. The findings from this exploration are in the form of various themes that were extrapolated from the transcriptions and clarified with reference to the existing findings in the literature. In addition, consistent with the hermeneutic tradition, co-construction of meaning was enhanced by the symbolic use of selected paintings. In summary, this study offers a description of four adolescent males‟ personal experiences of their parents‟ divorce, with the supplementary use of imagery and art in order to further enrich their subjective and often poignant narratives.

This study was designed to examine adolescent girls experience of their parents' divorce. A review of the literature on this subject indicated that little research had been conducted on the adolescents' experience of parental divorce. The literature also indicated that the painful event of divorce can precipitate a number of emotional, behavioural, and cognitive changes in children. This study utilized a phenomenological methodology. Specifically, the study sought to explore the participants' experience of parental divorce and interpret the results in conjunction with relevant theory. Eight girls from age sixteen to nineteen participated in the study. These girls came from a home where a divorce had occurred within a nine year range, but had occurred at least one year since the time of the interviews. The participants were interviewed twice. The interviews were analyzed using the data analysis process described by Giorgi (1975). This analysis revealed twelve topic areas which were descriptive of the participants' experience of divorce. These topics were then organized around four main content areas, or processes. These processes were the experience of the divorce, the process of adapting to environmental changes, the learning and growing process, and the process of restructuring meaning and moving toward resolution. The results were interpreted utilizing the literature on children from divorced homes, attribution theory, and just world theory. The present study shared many similarities with the literature on divorce, but differed in the degree of depression and maladjustment seen among the participants. The participants in this study, generally, were seen to highly-functioning, healthy individuals. The study also showed how the participants need for control in their lives was related to the theories posed by attribution theory and just world theory. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

Thesis (MEdPsych)--University of Stellenbosch, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Divorce is a common phenomenon throughout the world. According to the South African Population census in 1996 (Stats SA, 2001: 1.7) almost a tenth of the individuals that got married that year, had been separated or divorced. In the United States of America it is estimated that almost one out of every two couples eventually divorce (Dreman, 1999: 150). According to Pedro-Carroll, Sutton and Wyman (1999:467) many children may be at risk as a result of the negative consequences of marital disruption. These children challenge us, as educators, to support them in ways that will reduce risk factors and promote resilient outcomes for them. The statement by Pedro-Carroll et al. (1999:467) provides a rationale for this study, namely that children from divorced families may need support when experiencing the consequences of divorce. I argue that the school system, especially educators, play an important role in supporting children form divorced families. The school environment may serve as a source of support for children from divorced families, where educators are in a good position to be empathic to these children's problems and needs (Bray and Berger, 1992:73; Dreman, 1999:163). Therefore, I explored the phenomenon of educators' experiences of their role in supporting children from divorced families. The methods I made use of was firstly, semi-structured interviews to gain the educators' experiences individually. Two focus group sessions followed, where I also determined their experiences in a group dynamic. Through the produced and trascribed data I gained new insights into educators' experiences on this matter, by identifying themes from their experiences. One hundred and sixty one (161) themes were identified from the produced data. The findings were presented in four areas of experience, namely, educators' experiences in terms of:.the child; themselves; the school; and the parents. Some participants have experienced that generally children come across as uncertain and stressed, when their parents divorce, and that children may even feel that the divorce is his fault. It was also mentioned that children may exhibit psychosomatic symptoms due to the stress they experience. In terms of the educators' experiences of the school environment it was mentioned that the school provides structure for the children from divorced families. According to Wallerstein et al. (1980:277) the school can provide structure in a child's life at a time when the major structure of his life, the family, is crumbling. Mostly, educators have experienced that they do play an important role in supporting these children. Some even mentioned that they, as educators, have to sometimes fulfil a parental role for that child. According to Ligon and McDaniel (1970:76) educators are of inestimable help to children who bring their problems to them. I believe that the findings of this phenomenological study add credence to the research on educators as a supportive system for children from divorced families. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Egskeiding is 'n algemene verskynsel deur die wêreld heen. Volgens die Suid- Afrikaans Populasie sensus in 1996 (Stats SA, 2001 :1.7), het ongeveer 'n tiende van die individue wat daardie jaar getroud is, geskei. In die Verenigde State van Amerika is daar beraam dat ongeveer een uit elke twee egpare uiteindelik skei (Dreman, 1999:150). Volgens Pedro-Carroll, Sutton en Wyman (1999:467) kan baie kinders moontlik onder risiko geplaas word as gevolg van die negatiewe gevolge van fn gebroke huwelik. Hierdie kinders daag ons, as opvoeders, uit om hulle op wyses te ondersteun wat risiko faktore sal verminder en veerkragtige uitkomste vir hulle sal bevorder. Die stelling gemaak deur Pedro-Carroll et al. (1999:467) voorsien die studie van fn gegronde beredenering, naamlik dat kinders van geskeide gesinne moontlik ondersteuning benodig wanneer hulle die gevolge van egskeiding ervaar. Ek beredeneer dat die skool sisteem, spesifiek onderwysers, fn belangrike rol speel in die ondersteuning van kinders uit geskeide gesinne. Die skoolomgewing kan moontlik dien as fn bron van ondersteuning vir kinders van geskeide gesinne, waar onderwysers in 'n goeie posisie is om empaties te wees teenoor hierdie kinders se probleme en behoeftes (Bray en Berger, 1992:73; Dreman, 1999:163). Vir hierdie rede het ek die fenomeen van onderwysers se ervarings van hul rol in die ondersteuning van kinders uit geskeide gesinne, ondersoek. Die metodes waarvan ek gebruik gemaak het was eerstens, semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude om die onderwysers se ervarings individueel in te win. Twee fokus groep sessies het gevolg, waarin ek ook hul ervarings bepaal het in 'n groepsdinamiek. Deur die geproduseerde en getranskribeerde data het ek tot nuwe insigte gekom rakende onderwysers se ervarings in hierdie verband, deur temas te identifiseer vanuit hulle ervarings. Een honderd een en sestig (161) temas is geïdentifiseer vanuit die geproduseerde data. Die bevindinge is voorgestel in vier areas van ervaring, naamlik, onderwysers se ervarings van: die kind; hulself; die skool; en die ouers. Sommige van die onderwysers het ervaar dat kinders oor die algemeen as onseker en gespanne voorkom wanneer hulouers skei. Die kind kan selfs voel dat die egskeiding sy skuld is. Daar is ook genoem dat kinders psigosomatiese simptome kan toon weens spanning wat hul moontlik ervaar. In terme van die onderwysers se ervarings van die skoolomgewing is genoem dat die skool struktuur voorsien aan kinders van geskeide gesinne. Volgens Wallerstein et al. (1980:277) kan die skool struktuur voorsien in 'n kind se lewe in 'n tyd waar die hoofstruktuur van sy lewe, sy gesin, verbrokkel. Die onderwysers het meestal ervaar dat hulle wel 'n belangrike rol speel in die ondersteuning van hierdie kinders. Sommige van die onderwysers het selfs genoem dat hulle somtyds 'n ouerlike rol vervul vir so 'n kind. Volgens Ligon en McDaniel (1970:76) is onderwysers van onskatbare hulp vir kinders wat hul probleme na hulle toe bring. Ek vertrou dat die bevindinge van hierdie fenomenologiese studie geloofwaardigheid byvoeg tot die navorsing van onderwysers as 'n ondersteuningsisteem vir kinders van geskeide gesinne.

Grandparent-Grandchild Attachment as a Predictor of Psychological Adjustment among Youth from Divorced Families

The purpose of the present investigation was to explore the relationship of the adolescent experience of parental death to the variables of identity formation, adjustment, and coping. The inclusion of adolescents who had experienced parental divorce and those who had not experienced either loss condition allowed for group comparisons.

Different family structures and levels of parental and financial stress were investigated in relation to children's overtly expressed fears, and secondarily, covertly measured fears and concerns. The family structures consisted of divorced and remarried families divided into those divorced less than two years and those divorced greater than two years. Intact families were used as the control group. One-hundred-twenty-one children from six to eleven years of age and their biological mothers from a semirural, southwestern town comprised the sample. The children were administered five instruments assessing overt fears, covert fears/concerns, and positiveness in family relationships. Mothers were given eight self-report measures which included a questionnaire, a report of their child's overt fears, and an indication of the positiveness in family relationships. Results indicated that the children of divorced, single mothers tended to report greater overt fears than remarried and intact families. Indications of covert fears of death and separation were also suggested. This was especially true for those single mothers divorced less than two years. Children of intact families did not generally differ from remarried groups although there were implications that remarriage too soon after divorce may impact covert fears as well as positive feelings toward the stepfather. Children of mothers reporting high levels of stress reported greater levels of overt fears than children of low stress mothers. Financial stress for mothers appeared to have greater implications for children's overt and covert fears than did parental stress. In contrast to the children of mothers reporting high levels of stress, mothers who reported low levels of stress tended to have children who reported fewer overt fears but greater covert fears and concerns. Recommendations for future research including adding parental measures to assess the coping styles as well as the effectiveness of such coping with divorce and remarriage, using different measures of overt and covert fears, and extending the study to include data from the biological fathers as well as families in which the father has custodial rights.

Parent Adaptive Doll Play, a technique in an early stage of development, is designed for use by parents in assisting their young children to cope with the stresses of parental separation/divorce. The effects of technique implementation by parents of three- through six-year-old children were investigated. Data was collected before and after parents received training and implemented the technique over an eight-week period. Parents completed the Child Behavior Rating Scale, Burks' Behavior Rating Scales, the Parenting Stress Index, and the Parental Attitude Scale. Twenty-two parents, reporting marital separation through separation and/or divorce, within 18 months prior to the beginning of the study, and reporting more than 50 percent physical custody of a three- through six-year-old child qualified for participation. Twelve children were experimental subjects and ten were control subjects. To determine differences between groups, a one-way analysis of covariance was performed on each post test variable. Positive differences were calculated in several areas of child behavior by parents of subjects in the experimental group. No significant differences between groups were found in any area of child behavior. The score which most closely approached significance, however, was found in the Burks' Behavior Rating Scale area of poor anger control.

Divorce is part of every society, it is a world-wide phenomena. Divorce touches the lives of many people by breaking up families, causing personal individual trauma and affecting our children – the next generation. Consequences of this phenomenon are important, as what we do today will affect negatively or positively, the youth of tomorrow. Taken this fact into consideration one would think it logical to minimise the impact of this phenomenon on all those involved. Firstly, this study will attempt to identify the most prominent emotional indicators of a child’s drawing in order to focus therapy in those areas in an attempt to minimise or lessen the negative impact the child experiences. Secondly, the intervention strategies/guidelines researched, will be made available to parents, professionals and lay helpers alike in order to understand, support and positively facilitate the healing process within the child who is experiencing a family divorce. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (with Specialisation in Guidance and Counselling)

This study will attempt to identify the reported problem behavior in children impacted by parental divorce. Further, it will try to determine whether pre-divorce interparental conflict, time spent with the mother, and the mother's adjustment affects the problem behavior reported for children. The following analytic techniques will be used: frequency distributions, t-tests, correlations, and regression.

The effects of divorce on trust in intimate heterosexual relationships were investigated using a sample of 478 college students (156 males, 322 females). Subjects were asked to respond to scenarios and questionnaires assessing parental marital status, just world beliefs, parental conflict, and trust. Attitudes toward divorce and common problems were also assessed.