Young Adults’ Perception of Coping with Parental Divorce

A Retrospective Study

Bibliographic Data

ID19464654
AuthorsKobus du Plooy (0000-0003-2573-5866, North-West University, corresponding author), Esmé van Rensburg (0000-0002-5961-4416, North-West University)
Year2015
Volume56
Issue6
Pages490-512
Publication date2015-08-18
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Divorce & Remarriage (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1050-2556 • E-ISSN: 1540-4811
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10502556.2015.1058661
OpenAlexW2176063032
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited21

Divorce has long been described as one of the most stressful life experiences. A review of the literature identified numerous studies that have identified detrimental effects of parental divorce on children and adolescents and few that have emphasized possible optimal implications or effective coping with this event. The focus of this study subsequently fell on how young adults had coped with the divorce of their parents during their childhood or adolescent years. Semistructured retrospective interviews were conducted with 15 participants selected by means of snowball sampling in the completion of this study. Findings revealed a set of themes and subthemes relating to adults’ coping with parental divorce during childhood or adolescence as well as a set of factors that could potentially hinder such coping. Effective communication in relationships was highlighted as a particularly valuable coping method. It is hoped that these insights will enable those involved with assisting families during divorce to cope more effectively with this event

Developmental psychology · Perception · Young adult · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Clinical Psychology · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving · Psychology

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