After daddy and mom divorced: a children's report

The aim of this work was to understand how children experience parents' divorce: if they identify tensions before separation, how they comprehend and react to it and its consequences, and the what is the support they rely on. Data were collected through interviews and analysed by means of qualitative methodology. Subjects were 15 adolescents, both sexes, aged between 4- and 11-years-old when divorce occurred. The results showed they may or may not grasp family tension before separation but, apart from that, their main difficulties and sources of distress are related to one of the parents leaving home and the subsequent lack of previsibility for daily life events. In spite of reporting feelings of loneliness, isolation and lack or difficulty to find sources of support, all of them affirmed that divorce was a good solution for the family. Important aspects related to tensions and stress could be avoided with actions for health promotion, support groups and counselling for parents.

children; adolescents; divorce; family; qualitative analysis