PARENTS AND ADOLESCENTS IN THE POST-DIVORCE PERIOD: THE EFFECTS ON ADOLESCENT PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Although the effects of divorce on younger children have been researched, the same cannot be said for adolescents and their future development. This study focused on participants’ experiences of divorce and the effects on adolescent children during the post-divorce phase. Because this topic is relatively unexplored, a qualitative exploratory design was selected as few studies have investigated the post-divorce phase. Purposive and snowball sampling secured 12 adult and adolescent participants until data saturation was reached. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted, and two main themes emerged from the thematic data analysis. The two main themes were the psychosocial effects of divorce on adolescents, and role confusion. Institutional permission was obtained before commencement of the study as well as the requisite informed consent from the participants.

Keywords

• adolescent
• adolescence
• divorce
• parents
• post-divorce
• psychosocial development