Academic literature on the topic 'Children of divorced parents. Divorce counseling. Family Pastoral counseling'

Submitted if fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Sociology at the University of Zululand, 2003.
The sole purpose of this research is to determine the effects of divorce in a South African Community with specific reference to Esikhawini Area in Kwazulu-Natal. The effect that divorce has on both parents and children is that, it is fearful and insecure with loyalty conflicts. In South Africa however the high divorce rate has just escalated greatly and this has an effect on government funds because the government is supposed to control the family structure and a fixed budget for children support services for the abandoned children or unemployed mothers. Furthermore there is a great need for counselling services for children at Esikhawini since, there are problems of juvenile delinquency, deviant behavior and school drop outs. Our country's divorce rate is an indication of the quality of our family life. Social workers and psychologists provide the divorce court with the back ground information or reports especially where there are children involved. Children of divorced parents show an increase in dependancy over time and exhibited less sustained play then children of intact families. Children need emotional, physical, moral and financial support which are usually provided by the different organizations for example church, helpful community members and welfare agencies from the government. The state has an obligation to support divorced parents and abandoned children by introducing the divorce therapy programmes in order to reduce hatred, anger and depression to those who are affected. Welfare agencies and day care centers are available in Esikhawini Department of Welfare and pension. The researcher has consulted the records at Ongoye Magistrate's Institutions such as those of social workers, maintenance court and find out that there is a huge number of divorce cases reported to them by the victims of divorce. The study explores and describes the effects of divorce with reference to Esikhawini area of Empangeni. It also explores if children are informed about the pending divorce as well as arrangements made concerning the visits by parents who loose the custody of the children. Counselling should not be omitted per - se in due to the fact that it plays a significant role in the building up of the individuals self esteem or helplessness. The population under study is caught between the traditional and the modem standard of living because of social changes. The first chapter, which is mainly introductory serves as an eye-opener for the thesis. The researcher succinctly shows in that chapter, that the effects of divorce might affect the child's academic performance and so many other aspects of life. The researcher continues to state what motivated him to carry out the study. A statement of the problem, the historical background of the place under study, the aims and objectives of the stud}', die hypothesis. the methodology are outlined. Chapter two presents the scholarship review of the study. Chapter three focuses on the methods that was used to obtain results from the respondents. In the same manner, chapter four focuses on the interpretation of data obtained after the respondents had answered the questionnaires. Chapter five gives the recommendations and also a brief conclusion that sums up the argument of the thesis. This study has explained and described divorce as an act which affects the lower and higher socio-economic residents of Esikhawini. The study also came up with the assumption that divorce occurs more to couples staying with the extended family than to couples staying alone and this assumption was tested and confirmed by the study. The conclusion also sums up the findings of the study that this population lives the modern style of life.

M.A.
South Africa has an exceptionally high divorce rate. The stressful nature of parental separation and divorce results in higher susceptibility of children to psychological, social, academical and health problems. Parental ability to deal with the divorce transition largely influences the long term adjustment of children after divorce. An effective empirically researched based parentfocused educational programme which addresses the most essential divorce related issues and the effects thereof on children, can be of exceptional value. Supplying parents with sufficient knowledge and information regarding divorce as a process, as well as the way it effects children of different ages en developmental stages, will assist the parents in making better choices concerning the children. By educating parents about the effect of prolonged interparental conflict on children and by supplying them with constructive conflict management skills, the negative consequences of divorce on children may be minimised or even eliminated. In this study an educational programme (k.i.d.s.) was assessed by using a one group pretest- postest design. K.i.d.s. is a short, informative and user friendly educational programme. It comprises two, two hour sessions, scheduled two weeks apart. Statistical significance was achieved when pretest-posttest results were compared regarding knowledge on conflict and the divorce process. Participants also reported a significant decline regarding negative conflict behaviour. An overall high level of consumer satisfaction with the program was reported. Despite the small study sample, the positive results of this study proves the k.i.d.s. program to be a potential promising preventative and intervention method for use with divorcing parents.
Mrs. H.F. Ellis

Divorce has become so prevalent in our present day society, that it is regarded as one of the most sressful and complex mental health crises facing children today. As parents are often under tremendous stress during the time of divorce, they may be incapable of provding the support and guidance children need. The purpose of this study is to present a group counselling intervention programme to assist children of divorce and to create a supportive group atmosphere in which children can share divorce-related feelings, clarify common misconceptions and reduce feelings of isolation. Findings of this study indicate that the acquisition of problem-solving communication and anger control skills help to reduce feelings of depression and anxiety, improve the self-concept and ultimately promote post-divorce adjustment.
Psychology of Education
M. Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)

I became aware of the frequency of the traumatic effect of parental divorce on the lives of the children involved. My research intervention is investigating what value working with clay as therapeutic medium could have for young children from divorced homes. I used non-directive instruction to see whether it enabled children to relate and express their personal experiences more easily . Some children seemed hesitant about projecting their own emotions onto the clay models but, in the end, rich information and spontaneous communication was achieved. The analysis and interpretation of the data from the therapy sessions clearly showed the value of using clay as a therapeutic medium when working with children from divorced homes. By expressing and sharing feelings and emotions experienced during and after parental divorce, the participants indicated that it helped them to work through guilt and other issues, and to come to terms with the reality of the changes in their lives.
Psychology of Education
M. Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)

Disputes concerning care and contact arrangements for the minor children of divorcing couples present special challenges for professionals in the legal and psychological professions. Care and contact (custody) disputes, which are complex undertakings, are a point of debate in the professional arena in South Africa. Clinical psychologists are often included in the professional cohort that assists the high court, as the upper guardian of minor children, in the decision making process regarding contested care arrangements of children. This field is further challenged by the lack of training programmes and practice guidelines, the intense adversarial nature of disputes and litigation processes, as well as the increase in board complaints levelled against psychologists at the Health Professions Council of South Africa. These challenges contribute to the reluctance of psychologists to become involved in care and contact matters. This study therefore aimed first to explore the current practices and contributions of clinical psychologists in care and contact disputes in South Africa, and second to evaluate the procedures used by clinical psychologists to inform their recommendations to the court. In such matters, clinical psychologists adhere to the best interest of the child (BIC) principle. The final aim of the study was to identify and propose guidelines for a model of better practice. The study was guided by a Constructivist Epistemology and a Social Constructionist paradigmatic framework. A qualitative research approach was employed. Data were collected through face- to-face interviews with clinical psychologists and advocates and were analysed using Thematic Network Analysis of Attride-Stirling. The findings, which indicated that that the practices of psychologists are plenteous, revealed significant shortfalls in current practices. In addition, the findings designated that creating a universal model for care and contact evaluations to fit with the legal professions’ empiricist tendency poses a paradigmatic dilemma and a practical challenge. A position of observer-dependence and a reflective position on the part of the psychologist is instead indicated.
Psychology
Ph. D. (Psychology)

Text in Afrikaans
Approximately 50 percent of all marriages end up in divorce according to estimates. Thirty percent of divorcees enter into wedlock again within one year from being divorced, thereby creating a reconstructed family. The child in the late middle childhood years experiences some unique challenges during the reconstruction of the family due to influences such as the parent-child relationship, parenting styles and the start of puberty. The purpose of this qualitative study is to determine the child's psychological experience within the reconstructed family and to provide guidelines to parents (and co-therapists) on how to deal with children during the reconstruction process. The qualitative method of research was applied as it is a more informal research procedure and the boundaries of the study subject are reasonably wide and undefined. The method provides an adaptable strategy regarding problem formulation and data collection, which allow semi-structured interviews, observations and field notes, and enable the researcher to obtain first hand knowledge and understanding of the problem.
Social Work
M. Diac.(Play Therapy)