In my bachelors’ thesis, I explore how minors experience the divorce or separation of their parents. In the theoretical part, I focus on four major topics, namely family, divorce or separation, children and divorce, as well as social work during the process of divorce or separation.
In the empirical part, I used qualitative analysis for seven interviews with young adults who had experienced divorce or separation of their parents during their adolescence. My goal was to gain a comprehensive insight into the experience of divorce or separation by minors and all of the factors that influenced it. By covering several topics, I present the results obtained with a qualitative survey. These topics include general information on divorce or separation, practical information on divorce or separation, discussing divorce or separation, experiencing divorce or separation from a child's perspective, post-divorce/separation adjustments, communication with a parent with whom the minor has not lived together on a regular basis, relationship with parents, relationship between parents after a divorce or separation, relationship with relatives, relationship with members of the reorganised family, support persons, support of social work centres and other institutions, the impact of divorce or separation on the minor and further life and consideration of the minor's voice. I present this information with a discussion, conclusions and, finally, provide some suggestions.
The survey has shown that every child experiences divorce or separation differently. Most often, this is related to conflicts between the parents and their cooperation after a divorce or separation. The survey has shown that the information passed on to minors upon the divorce or separation of their parents was deficient or scanty, whilst a family conversation about a divorce or separation was rare. Since this affects the minors’ acceptance and experience of their parents’ divorce or separation, I found that minors wanted more discussion and support from both of their parents (as well as the relevant institutions) at the time of the divorce or separation. The mother is still the person who spends more time with her child after a divorce or separation. Since a variety of obstacles and problems occur in communication with the father, this affects the child's relationship with him. The interviewees most often mentioned forbidden contact with their father, inflexible communication, problems during the exam periods and the epidemic, the father being distant towards them and unable to participate in the minor’s life. I established that the interviewees received no or only minimal help and support outside of their primary family. The separation or divorce of the parents has an impact on the child in their young age, as well as on their later adult life. I found that for them, there were more disadvantages and negative influences than advantages as regards the divorce or separation of their parents. These influences are reflected in their relationships, their ability to trust others, their emotions and life in general. However, these negative effects disappeared or diminished with them growing up – to such an extent that in most cases they did not leave lasting consequences. The survey has shown that for the most part, the minor's voice was not taken into account during the process of their parents’ separation or divorce. Despite this, some interviewees had the opportunity to decide which of the parents they wanted to live with and give their opinion regarding contact with their father.
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