Exploring parental divorce among emerging adult women: The roles of support networks and family relationships.

Abstract

What is the experience of parental divorce like when it takes place during emerging adulthood? A phenomenological study examined how parental divorce during emerging adulthood gives meaning to emerging adults' experiences, specifically with regards to support networks and familial relationships. Fifteen females between the ages of 18 and 25 (M ϭ 21.5) whose parents divorced after age 18 were interviewed. Three themes of meaning emerged from the data: emotional consequences of loss and contradictory coping, involvement in the divorce process, and the evolution (or not) of family dynamics. Results are relevant for psychologists, family therapists, and university mental health programs by providing information on how the experience of parental divorce influences emerging adults' state of homeostasis, perceptions of the parent-child relationship, and perceived importance of support systems.

Relational uncertainty management in adult children of divorce

“…ACOD are erroneously thought to be largely unaffected by their parents' divorce due to their independence and ego maturity (e.g., Cooney, 1994;Greenwood, 2012). However, adult children, including our own participants, often report that parental divorce in adulthood is a serious emotional trauma (e.g., Cooney et al, 1986;Reed, Lucier-Greer, & Parker, 2016). In fact, over half of our participants (61%; n = 14) mentioned that seeking professional help, such as counseling, was an important tool for coping with parental divorce.…”

“…not only survive it [parental divorce] without scarring but to heal the wounds of their parents, a task too great to be achieved" (p. 200). Thus, adult children may engage in intense emotional labor to help their parents, while sacrificing their own self-care and coping (e.g., Greenwood, 2012;Reed et al, 2016). Clinicians should help ACOD learn how to communicatively establish and maintain boundaries regarding divorcerelated information management (Colapinto, 1991), even if it means upsetting the parent.…”

“…Clinicians should help ACOD learn how to communicatively establish and maintain boundaries regarding divorcerelated information management (Colapinto, 1991), even if it means upsetting the parent. Clear boundary management can reduce ACOD's experiences of "feeling caught" and attenuate the psychological damage resultant from parental divorce (Reed et al, 2016). Additionally, establishing clear boundaries surrounding information management may buffer the family unit from negative effects of inappropriate divorce disclosures (e.g., anxiety, stress; ; resulting in ACOD feeling more connected and satisfied with their parents.…”

A Scoping Review of the Factors That Influence Families’ Ability or Capacity to Provide Young People With Emotional Support Over the Transition to Adulthood

“…Parental divorce or separation can also have a negative effect on emerging adults' sibling relationships, with studies reporting lower levels of closeness and warmth between siblings in divorced families, compared to those in non-divorced or separated families (Conger and Little, 2010;Nitzburg, 2013;Milevsky, 2019). Yet, in a qualitative study of young adult women's experiences of parental divorce, Reed et al (2016) found that participants most often described turning to their siblings as a source of support during their parents' divorce, whereas comparatively few participants felt that discussing their needs with their parents during this time was helpful.…”

Competing Developmental Demands Among Suicide-Bereaved Emerging Adults

“…In an age of social media and ever prevalent internet distractions, it appears that emerging adults use more distraction and compartmentalization in their grief reactions. In their work with emerging adults who experienced the divorce of parents, authors noted coping isolation and tangible distractions as an effective short-term solution because it allowed them to avoid the pain and still manage their lives (Reed, Lucuer-Greer, & Parker, 2016). For millennials, this avoidance seems readily accessible.…”