Divorce and children in middle childhood : parents' contribution to minimise the impact

Abstract

The rationale for the choice of the topic is embedded in the researcher’s practical experience. It is a fact that divorce has a definite influence on all children; however it has become clear to the researcher that the degree to which parents are able to handle their divorce minimises these effects on the children. In this research the researcher explored whether children tend to adjust to divorce with less difficulty when they are able to maintain the family relations. The procedure of obtaining the information required for the research was done through utilising both the qualitative and quantitative approaches. The researcher has done an in-depth study of a family who succeeded in minimising the impact of changing from an intact family to a divorced family. The dominant approach was done in the form of a case study and the data was collected through unstructured interviews and observations. The interviews were recorded and the responses analysed in terms of themes and sub-themes. For the quantitative data standardised measuring instruments, namely the Hudson Scales for children’s attitude towards their parents, were used to explore the parent-child relationship after divorce. These responses were analysed according to the prescribed format by Perspective College. At the end of the study the researcher was able to draw conclusions and make recommendations to professionals involved in working with families that go through a divorce, on the aspects that can make the transition during parental divorce less traumatic.