Eleven adolescents whose parents were separated or divorced were interviewed regarding their experiences. Emphasis was on their positive and negative experiences and their ways of coping with their problems. The interviews of these high school freshmen were systematically analyzed using Spradley’s ethnographic methodology. The 6 girls and 5 boys lived in maternal, paternal, and joint custody. Two of the adolescents had experienced death of a parent as well as divorce. The adolescents volunteered to participate in this study and were a non-clinical sample. Contrasts were drawn based on sex, age at the time of divorce, and availability of both parents to the adolescent. Differences in maturity and responsibilities followed sexually stereotyped patterns. Age at the time of divorce seemed to have little effect on their experiences. Availability of parents was important in providing continuity and stability. If the adolescent did not have access to both parents, other adults such as grandparents or other family members sometimes served a mediating function in the experiences of the family. An overriding theme for all of these adolescents was the need for stability and predictability in their families. Each had experienced losses of important major relationships and changes in family patterns. These losses threatened the stability needed. Their coping efforts involved ways to increase the stability and predictability in their lives. Many adolescents thought they were more mature as a result of their parents’ divorce. Some adolescents became closer to their families, assuming major household and childcare responsibilities. Others withdrew from family interaction and were very lonely. With stability in the family, these adolescents could focus on age-appropriate activities and continue developmental progress. / Ph. D. / incomplete_metadata

toc / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

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 influence of parental marital status and parental conflict on the separation-individuation process of college students was investigated in the present study. Past studies have suggested that parental divorce and parental conflict accelerate separation. However, no studies have measured more than one dimension of separation-individuation. In this study the process of separation-individuation was operationalized as involving three dimensions: psychological separation from parents (Psychological Separation Inventory); emotional attachments to parents and peers (Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment); and the development of an identity (Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status). The sample consisted of 120 male and 120 female undergraduates between the ages of 18 and 22, one-half with parents who were married and one-half with parents who had divorced in the last five years. Subjects completed self-report measures of parental conflict, psychological separation, attachment to parents and to peers, and identity status. Predictions that parental conflict would affect students in intact families differently than their peers with divorced parents were not supported. Instead, parental divorce and conflict were found to have different effects on the components of the separation-individuation process. Subjects reporting higher parental conflict levels described more independent functioning, more negative feelings toward parents, less attachment to parents and to peers, and greater exploration of identity-related issues in comparison to those reporting low levels of conflict. Subjects with parents who had recently divorced reported lower attachment to parents, and greater identity exploration and reluctance to commit to an identity than subjects from intact families. Males reported greater independence from and less attachment to parents, and had committed to an identity without exploration less often than females. Results suggest that parental divorce and conflict may influence adolescent development in different ways. Exploratory analyses suggested that measures of conflict style are more highly related to indices of separation-individuation than measures of the amount of parental conflict. Theoretical and methodological issues are discussed.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The primary aim of this study was to identify factors contributing to the adjustment of adolescents whose parents are divorced. Learning theory and schema theory were evaluated as possible explanations for the variance found in the adjustment of these adolescents. The secondary aim of the study was to research the possibility of attitude to divorce acting as a mediator between the parent-adolescent relationship and adolescent adjustment (a possibility suggested by schema theory). Self-report questionnaires were completed by first year Psychology and Economics students at Stellenbosch University. 293 students completed the questionnaires, but as only 39 of these students came from divorced families, 38 of the data sets from students with married parents were randomly selected for use in the study. Respondents completed Antonovsky's Life Orientation Questionnaire (measuring adjustment); Hudson's CAM and CAF questionnaires (measuring relationships with mother and father, respectively); and a set of questions measuring attitude to divorce; as well as a biographical questionnaire. The results showed only limited evidence for attitude to divorce acting as a mediator between the parent-adolescent relationship and adolescent adjustment. Schema theory is therefore not supported conclusively, although further research is recommended. Results did, however, support learning theory as an adequate explanation for the positive correlations found between parent-adolescent relationships and adolescent adjustment. Knowledge of the importance of learning theory in explaining adolescent adjustment can increase parents' awareness of their influence on their children's adjustment. This knowledge can also be used in the design of therapeutic programmes for families going through divorce. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die hoofdoelstelling van hierdie ondersoek was om faktore te indentifiseer wat bydra tot die aanpassing van adolessente wie se ouers geskei is. Leerteorie en skemateorie is geevalueer as moontlike verkJarings vir die variansie in die aanpassing van die adolessente. 'n Sekondere doel was om die moontlikheid te ondersoek dat die adolessent se houding teenoor egskeiding 'n rol kan speeI in die ouer-adolessent verhouding en die aanpassmg van die adolessent (die moontlikheid voIg uit skemateorie). Selfrapporteringsvraelyste is deur onderskeidelik eerstejaar studente in Sielkunde en Ekonomie aan die Universiteit van Stellenbosch voltooi. 293 studente het die vraelyste voltooi, maar omdat net 39 van hierdie studente uit geskeide gesinne gekom het, is 38 studente met getroude ouers in die ondersoek ingesluit. Studente het Antonovsky se Lewensorientasievraelys (wat aanpassing meet); Hudson se CAM en CAF-vraelyste (wat verhoudings met die rna en pa meet); en 'n stel vrae wat houding teenoor egskeiding meet; sowel as 'n biografiese vraelys voltooi. Beperkte bewys is gevind vir die moontlikheid dat houding teenoor egskeiding bemiddelend optree tussen die oueradolessent verhouding en die aanpassing van die adolessent. Skemateorie kon gevolglik nie bewys word nie, alhoewel verdere ondersoeke aanbeveel word. Die resultate ondersteun leerteorie as 'n goeie verduideliking vir die positiewe korrelasie wat bestaan tussen ouer-adolessent verhouding en die adolessent se aanpassing. Kennis van die belangrikheid van leerteorie as verduideliking vir die aanpassing van adolessente beklemtoon die beJangrike invloed wat die ouers se aanpassing op hul k.inders se aanpassing het. Die kennis kan ook gebruik word in die ontwerp van terapeutiese programme vir gesinne wat egskeiding beleef.

Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych) / Divorce and self-efficacy are areas that have been studied quite widely and extensively in recent decades. Going through a divorce has an effect on how parents actually parent their children, which in turn has an effect on the behavioral, emotional, social and academic outcomes of the child. Divorce is considered a significant factor in determining emotional and social problems that children begin to exhibit. However, few research has been conducted on the relationship of divorce with parental self-efficacy and perception of parenting among divorced parents in South Africa. Therefore, this study used qualitative interviews to explore the impact of divorce on parental self-efficacy and perceptions of parenting among ten divorced parents from working to middle class community in Cape Town, South Africa. . The interviews were analyzed by making use of thematic analysis. Results showed that, although participants experienced an initial period of extreme emotional distress and feeling overwhelmed at being a single parent, their confidence in their parenting increased over time as they began to adjust to their new lives and received adequate and regular support. This was accomplished through various techniques and coping mechanisms employed by the participants, and with their social support structure playing a significant role on their parental self-efficacy. This study contributes to the research that has been conducted on parental self-efficacy, specifically, the research that has been conducted in a South African context, which has been generally lacking in terms of previous research.

韓曉燕. / 論文(哲學博士)--香港中文大學, 2004. / 參考文獻 (p. 364-382). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Abstracts also in English. / Han Xiaoyan. / Lun wen (Zhe xue bo shi)--Xianggang Zhong wen da xue, 2004. / Can kao wen xian (p. 364-382).

"November 2001." / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 278-292). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese.

Young children's perceptions of their parents have been shown to affect responses to parents, and to be relevant in personality development and self-esteem. Typically, research examining children's perceptions of their parents focused on children from intact families. Yet, with the frequent occurrence of divorce in our society, and the trauma and lifestyle changes often associated with marital dissolution, it is possible that children's perceptions of their parents may also change. This study compared two groups of preschool children's perceptions of their parents. Forty - two children (23 males, 19 females) came from two parent, first marriage families. Thirty-two children (16 males, 16 females) were from divorced single parent households. Children were visited in their homes and asked to respond to nine questions in the areas of parental relationships, mother role, and father role. Children's responses were coded, using a 17-category coding scheme. Factor analyses reflected children's perceptions of both traditional and nontraditional parental roles. The developmental level of the children and marital status of parents had the most influence on the children's perceptions of parental relationships. Children from the married sample viewed father's role in a more contemporary and diverse way in comparison to the single sample. Both samples (married and divorced) viewed mother in similar traditional roles. Results can be interpreted in the context of family lifestyles and symbolic interaction theory.

The purpose of this study was to determine the self perceived needs of divorced parents for parent education. Five independent variables, age, sex, income level, education, and time since divorce were analyzed. The survey was organized into three major parts with sub-headings. The survey questions asked divorced parents what parent education resources they used before, after divorce, and use now or in the future. Other questions asked what content these resources should contain. The survey was completed in Houston Texas, and Ogden, Utah with a total N of 38. The results of the analysis indicated there was no significant differences in the perceived effectiveness of the existing parent education resources, nor the perceived need for additional resources in either child development or personal growth, based on the age, sex, income level, educational attainment, or time since divorce of a sample of divorced parent responses. writers of curriculum for divorced parents however should note the high degree of unanimity among divorced parents on many content areas, and the information resources used.