Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Divorced couples'

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2000.
Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 186 p. : ill., map. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 127-137).

Relationship separation is prevalent in Western society and ongoing problems for adults and children are common, resulting in high personal and social costs. A literature review revealed that no existing measure of separation adjustment assessed multiple domains of separation adjustment, and was psychometrically sound. Additionally, a literature review revealed that few studies have investigated change in separation adjustment over time using cognitive predictors. This thesis is a program of research investigating separation adjustment in recently separated adults. Five studies were conducted with three main aims: (1) to develop a multidimensional, psychometrically reliable and valid measure of separation adjustment; (2) to assess the trajectory of separation adjustment over time; and (3) to test the hypothesis that certain cognitive variables predict the trajectory of separation adjustment. A conceptualisation of separation adjustment was developed consisting of the following five domains: Connection to the former partner, loneliness and emotional negativity (referred to as lonely negativity), parenting negotiation, parent-child relationship and general psychological adjustment. The Problems After Separation Test (PAST) was developed to reflect the first four of the five domains. In Study 1, 268 participants separated for up to 18 months, were recruited to assess the factor structure and internal consistency of the PAST. In Study 2, 209 participants were recruited to assess the stability of the factor structure, and temporal stability. In Study 3, participants from Study 2 were used to obtain convergent and divergent validity. The results of the first three studies showed that separation adjustment is a multidimensional construct, and that the PAST is a reliable and valid measure of separation adjustment. Study 4 aimed to assess the trajectory of separation adjustment over a 6 month period using the PAST and another measure of general psychological adjustment. Participants from both Study 1 and 2 were used, and a longitudinal cohort sequential design was employed. The sample consisted of three cohorts: those separated for up to six months, those separated between 6 and 12 months, and those separated between 12 and 18 months. The results showed that connection to the former partner, lonely negativity, and general psychological adjustment improved over time, but parent-child relationships and parenting negotiation were stable, and chronic parenting problems were common. Men showed greater parent-child relationship problems than women, possibly because men were most likely to be the non-resident parent. Participants separating from a de facto relationship reported only slightly more problems on lonely negativity, general psychological distress and parent-child relationships than participants separating from a marriage. Study 4 also provides information on clinical and reliable change, suggested cut-offs that might be used to define normal, moderate and severe adjustment problems, and attrition analyses. Using participants from Study 2, Study 5 aimed to assess cognitive predictors of change on connection to the former partner, lonely negativity and psychological distress. The cognitions assessed at each data collection were dysfunctional attitudes, attachment style, causal attributions, threat appraisal, and self-efficacy. Causal attributions were obtained by asking participants "For three minutes tell my about the problems you had in your relationship and what lead to the separation". The responses were transcribed, a coding manual was devised, and inter-rater reliability of coding was good. Cross-sectionally, the majority of cognitions were associated with one or more domains of separation adjustment, however longitudinally, cognitions did not predict change in separation adjustment over a 6-month period. Cognitions themselves were found to be somewhat variable, which is not surprising given that stressful life events, such as relationship separation would alter cognitions. Other variables that might be responsible for changes in separation adjustment trajectory are discussed. The results of the combined 5 studies have both theoretical and practical implications. Theoretically, separation adjustment is a construct made up of distinct domains which have different trajectories. Connection, lonely negativity and psychological adjustment generally represent transient problems. Although the current research found that a non-trivial minority of participants continued to show distress on these domains two years post separation. On the other hand, parenting negotiation and the parent-child relationship was a chronic problem for many separated people, particularly men. Practically, the results of the current research suggests that most therapeutic attention should be directed towards improving parenting adjustment post separation. Limitations of the current research and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Relationship separation is prevalent in Western society and ongoing problems for adults and children are common, resulting in high personal and social costs. A literature review revealed that no existing measure of separation adjustment assessed multiple domains of separation adjustment, and was psychometrically sound. Additionally, a literature review revealed that few studies have investigated change in separation adjustment over time using cognitive predictors. This thesis is a program of research investigating separation adjustment in recently separated adults. Five studies were conducted with three main aims: (1) to develop a multidimensional, psychometrically reliable and valid measure of separation adjustment; (2) to assess the trajectory of separation adjustment over time; and (3) to test the hypothesis that certain cognitive variables predict the trajectory of separation adjustment. A conceptualisation of separation adjustment was developed consisting of the following five domains: Connection to the former partner, loneliness and emotional negativity (referred to as lonely negativity), parenting negotiation, parent-child relationship and general psychological adjustment. The Problems After Separation Test (PAST) was developed to reflect the first four of the five domains. In Study 1, 268 participants separated for up to 18 months, were recruited to assess the factor structure and internal consistency of the PAST. In Study 2, 209 participants were recruited to assess the stability of the factor structure, and temporal stability. In Study 3, participants from Study 2 were used to obtain convergent and divergent validity. The results of the first three studies showed that separation adjustment is a multidimensional construct, and that the PAST is a reliable and valid measure of separation adjustment. Study 4 aimed to assess the trajectory of separation adjustment over a 6 month period using the PAST and another measure of general psychological adjustment. Participants from both Study 1 and 2 were used, and a longitudinal cohort sequential design was employed. The sample consisted of three cohorts: those separated for up to six months, those separated between 6 and 12 months, and those separated between 12 and 18 months. The results showed that connection to the former partner, lonely negativity, and general psychological adjustment improved over time, but parent-child relationships and parenting negotiation were stable, and chronic parenting problems were common. Men showed greater parent-child relationship problems than women, possibly because men were most likely to be the non-resident parent. Participants separating from a de facto relationship reported only slightly more problems on lonely negativity, general psychological distress and parent-child relationships than participants separating from a marriage. Study 4 also provides information on clinical and reliable change, suggested cut-offs that might be used to define normal, moderate and severe adjustment problems, and attrition analyses. Using participants from Study 2, Study 5 aimed to assess cognitive predictors of change on connection to the former partner, lonely negativity and psychological distress. The cognitions assessed at each data collection were dysfunctional attitudes, attachment style, causal attributions, threat appraisal, and self-efficacy. Causal attributions were obtained by asking participants "For three minutes tell my about the problems you had in your relationship and what lead to the separation". The responses were transcribed, a coding manual was devised, and inter-rater reliability of coding was good. Cross-sectionally, the majority of cognitions were associated with one or more domains of separation adjustment, however longitudinally, cognitions did not predict change in separation adjustment over a 6-month period. Cognitions themselves were found to be somewhat variable, which is not surprising given that stressful life events, such as relationship separation would alter cognitions. Other variables that might be responsible for changes in separation adjustment trajectory are discussed. The results of the combined 5 studies have both theoretical and practical implications. Theoretically, separation adjustment is a construct made up of distinct domains which have different trajectories. Connection, lonely negativity and psychological adjustment generally represent transient problems. Although the current research found that a non-trivial minority of participants continued to show distress on these domains two years post separation. On the other hand, parenting negotiation and the parent-child relationship was a chronic problem for many separated people, particularly men. Practically, the results of the current research suggests that most therapeutic attention should be directed towards improving parenting adjustment post separation. Limitations of the current research and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Thesis (Professional Doctorate)
School of Applied Psychology
Full Text

La consécration sur la scène juridique, en 1999, des modes de conjugalité alternatifs au mariage - le concubinage et le PACS-, a contribué à renouveler l'appréhension de la notion de couple, placée au coeur des préoccupations législatives. De plus en plus envisagé comme une notion unitaire, le couple est désormais compris dans une acception qui transcende les modes de conjugalité, au point que la réalité d'un droit commun du couple encouragé par le législateur est aujourd'hui tangible. Dans cette logique, on observe un rapprochement des processus de rupture résultant de l'extension de certaines règles protectrices du divorce aux ruptures du PACS et du concubinage. Dès lors, le développement d'un droit commun de la rupture du couple au détriment de la spécificité du divorce est-il inéluctable ? ou à l'inverse, la rupture est-elle encore le symbole des différences fondamentales entre les modes de conjugalité, en révélant ce qui est l'essence irréductible de chacun d'eux -et ceci, dans un contexte du droit de la conjugalité profondément renouvelé par l'appréhension nouvelle du mariage en tant qu'union ouverte aux personnes de même sexe ?Telle est l'alternative pour le législateur à qui il incombe de donner une nouvelle cohérence au droit de la conjugalité
The arising on the legal scene in 1999 of various types of union as alternatives to marriage (cohabitation and french civil partnership -PACS-) contributed to reconsider the very notion of couple as the core of legislative priorities. More and more understood as a unitarian concept, the couple is now included in an understanding that goes beyond the type of union, to the point where a common law of couples becomes a reality, promoted by the legislator. Doing so, the legal ways of ending a cohabition or a PACS are now obviously converging with the way of ending a marriage, thanks to the extension of protective laws that initially concerned only married couples.From here, must we consider inevitable the development of a common law of ending a couple, at the expense of the specificity of divorce ? Or, at the opposite, is the ending of a couple still the best representation of the fundamental differences between unions, revealing their very nature - moreover now that the laws of conjugality have been deeply reconsidered through the legalization of same sex marriage ?Such is the alternative for the legislator, who has now to give a brand new coherence to the laws of conjugality

En dix ans, à partir du milieu des années soixante, l'ensemble de l'Europe a connu un bouleversement de son droit de la famille, accompagné d'un changement des pratiques et des représentations quant au mode de gestion de la relation familiale. Comment cela se traduit-il du point de vue du contrôle que l'Etat exerce sur la famille ? On se demandera ce qui a changé dans la division des tâches entre régulation publique et régulation privée des relations familiales, à travers l' analyse de l'évolution à cet égard des relations conjugales et dans le contexte de l'Italie où la prise en charge de celles-ci s'est faite avec une particulière brutalité et visibilité en faisant l'objet d'un débat national à l'occasion du référendum de 1974 sur le divorce. Un tel événement signale bien le triomphe dans les représentations collectives d'un nouveau mode légitime de gestion de la difficulté conjugale. Désormais reconnue comme potentiellement insoluble, fortement dramatisée, elle est réputée devoir échapper à la maîtrise des conjoints et relever d'une prise en charge collective et étatique. Elle est assimilée à un risque "normal" de la vie privée, réclamant une régulation par une instance neutre ; seuls l'Etat et ses représentants semblent capables d'assumer cette fonction. On retrouve dans l'évolution du dispositif juridique de l'époque concernant la relation conjugale et dans la décennie des débats qui l'ont accompagnée, une construction similaire. L'importance que prend le conflit conjugal appelle la mise en place d'une multitude de procédures de régulation publique du conflit, au point qu'on assiste à une ébauche de contrôle total de ce dernier par l'Etat. Mais l'examen des pratiques sociales effectives signale une consommation très sélective de ce dispositif. La clientèle des tribunaux ou des services sociaux déjoue la plupart des tentatives de contrôle sur la conflictualité privée. Pure reconnaissance de l'insolubilité du conflit, réparation : voilà ce à quoi se limite en fait la demande faite à l'Etat. Réduit au rôle d'Etat-providence, il est chargé d'affronter qui est considéré désormais comme un risque social comme un autre
Within the span of the sixties, Europe has experienced an upheaval of its family law, as well as a change of practices and representations dealing with the social management of family relations. How does this show up in the control exercized by the State on the family ? We will try to see what has change in the repartition between public and private regulation of family relations, by analyzing the management of conjugal relations in italy where this relation was put in the limelight with an unusual clarity by becoming the object of a national debate during the 1974 divorce referendum. This latter event indicates the triumph in the collective representation of a new legitimate managing of conjugal difficulties. Strongly dramatized and now recognized as potentially insolvable, such difficulties are supposedly beyond the spouses control and should fall within the real of collective control by the State. They are equated with other normal risks of private life, claiming for regulation by a neutral body : only the State and its agents seem capable of fullfilling this function. One may observe a similar process in the whole legal construction of the time concerning the conjugal relation and in the decade of concomitant discussions. The importance of conjugal conflicts calls for the elaboration of many procedures of public regulation of these conflicts, going as far as an attempt of total control by the State. However real social practices show a very selective use of these procedures: the users of courts and social services effectively foil most attempts to control private conflicts. Mere recognition of an insolvable conflict, or enforcement of alimony are in fact the main demands on the State, seen only as the welfare State in charge of just another social risk

Couples who divorce are likely to experience increased levels of psychological distress, decreased levels of happiness, and increased levels of depression. To reduce these negative effects, litigators use mediation to resolve disagreements including child custody disputes. The purpose of this quantitative study was to compare divorcing parents' depression and satisfaction with the process after the use of mediation or litigation. Wexler's theory of therapeutic jurisprudence provided the theoretical framework. Data was collected from 170 participants who were recruited using convenience sampling through Facebook. Participants voluntarily completed a survey which included a researcher developed questionnaire, the Acrimony Scale, the Nonacceptance of Marital Termination, and the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression. Results from MANOVA and ANOVA analyses showed that participants who used mediation reported significantly higher levels of fairness and control than parents who used litigation. Findings could be used to inform divorcing parents that mediation may provide them with higher levels of fairness and control. Divorcing couples could be offered mediation services that are more effective and will more likely meet their needs. Court systems could offer mediation as a mandatory first step. This may reduce the number of cases that litigate. Since mediation is generally free, parents would not be forced to pay money for the services and they may end feeling that they had more control within their dispute. If more families experience more fairness and control within their dispute, their overall psychological wellbeing may be improved, thereby positively impacting social change.

De nos jours, le divorce fait partie des réalités familiales de la société occidentale et depuis sa libéralisation dans les années 1960, la conception du mariage a pris un tout nouveau sens. Avant la loi canadienne du divorce de 1968, la société québécoise a longtemps rejeté l'accès au divorce, la pratique étant en contradiction avec ses valeurs franco-catholiques et avec certaines dispositions de son Code civil. Il est ainsi intéressant de comprendre comment les Québécois ont discuté du divorce avant et après la proclamation de la loi fédérale de 1968, de saisir les arguments en faveur ou non du divorce et de déceler les spécificités et les retombées de cette réforme majeure du mariage québécois. Par le biais de notre lecture de diverses sources populaires, nous sommes arrivés à un constat plutôt étonnant, celui d'une approbation générale pour l'élargissement de la loi sur le divorce. Dans l'époque révolutionnaire des années 1960, d'importantes mutations morales entourant la sexualité, le mariage et la famille viennent encourager la réforme de la loi. La population québécoise est consciente que la loi ne correspond plus aux pratiques et aux moeurs des années 1960 et qu'elle doit être modifiée selon les nouvelles réalités, sans toutefois encourager le divorce. Des conditions et des motifs précis pour divorcer façonnent la loi sur le divorce de 1968 ; pour prévenir le divorce, les législateurs n'autorisent pas le divorce pour simple échec du mariage et obligent des mesures de réconciliation de la part des époux. La société et le législateur ne peuvent autoriser une loi du divorce trop libérale et permettre ainsi des divorces sur un coup de tête. Une fois la loi canadienne et son administration mise en place en juillet 1968, une importante course au divorce par les couples québécois, dont l'ampleur n'est pas prévue par l'État, force la province à modifier ses lois matrimoniales. Le mariage civil et l'insertion du divorce dans le Code civil québécois viennent laïciser le mariage et rendre la loi fédérale applicable au Québec. Durant les années 1968 à 1972, les spécialistes en sciences sociales sont reconnues [i.e. reconnus] pour leur expertise par la société, les avocats et les juges sont nommés pour professionnaliser les cours de divorce et ainsi faciliter la décision lors des procès en divorce. Les couples font de plus en plus usage du divorce, en voulant régler des situations intolérables et ils sont ainsi libérés de leur mariage raté, mais il n'en demeure pas moins un drame familial pour autant. L'Église catholique et ses représentants doivent par ailleurs modifier leurs attitudes à l'égard du nouvel accès au divorce en procédant à des mesures accommodantes pour ses fidèles divorcés.

L’union juridique formée par deux personnes qui vivent en couple se fonde sur l’existence d’une communauté de vie, dont le droit français consacre trois modes d’organisation : le mariage, le pacte civil de solidarité et le concubinage. L’intensité de cette communauté varie selon le mode de conjugalité et chacun constitue, par conséquent, une inégale source de solidarité. Ce soutien, à la fois matériel et moral, ne résiste pas à la dissolution de l’union qui constitue dès lors, dans certains cas, la source d’un préjudice ou d’un état de besoin.Dans le but de les compenser, le droit met en œuvre une indemnisation, lors de la rupture. Ce transfert de valeurs prend la forme de dommages-intérêts, d’une prestation compensatoire et d’une indemnité in rem verso. Toutefois, après avoir assisté au recul de la faute, ainsi qu’à l’avènement d’une responsabilité objective, c’est tout le système de la compensation-indemnisation qui décline et ne semble plus adapté à l’union telle qu’on la conçoit, libéralisée dans sa dissolution et émancipatrice des individus. Ce déclin incite à rechercher l’existence d’une autre méthode de compensation.L’extinction du lien conjugal dissout la communauté de vie, sans que les effets déjà produits ne soient remis en cause. Or, tout au long de la vie commune, l’union provoque la mutualisation d’un certain nombre de richesses, qu’il convient de partager. Cette redistribution, réalisée par l’intermédiaire d’une communauté, d’une indivision ou d’une société a pour effet de compenser l’éventuelle disparité patrimoniale. Lorsque cette compensation est insuffisante ou ne permet pas à l’un des conjoints de subvenir à ses besoins, c’est une redistribution minimale que le droit organise, en tirant profit des biens présents dans le patrimoine de l’un, pour attribuer des droits utiles à l’autre, notamment sur l’immeuble affecté au logement. Ces deux formes de distribution constituent les manifestations d’un nouveau modèle : la compensation-distribution
The legal union formed by two persons living as a couple is based on the existence of a joint living for which French Law sanctions three modes of organization: marriage, civil partnership and cohabitation. The intensity of this community depends on the nature of conjugality. As a consequence, each of the presented modes of organization consists of an uneven source of solidarity. Solidarity is both material and moral, and does not survive the dissolution of the union, which therefore denotes, in some cases, a source of damage or a state of necessity. In order to compensate this situation, French Law provides for compensation when couples break up. This transfer of value takes the form of damages, of a spousal support or of an in rem verso compensation. However, as a consequence of the decline of fault and the accession of an objective liability, the whole compensation system is deteriorating and no more seems suitable for the union the way it is understood, i.e. liberal in its break up and liberated from individuals. This decline encourages us to look for the existence of other compensation methods. The termination of the marital bond dissolves the joint living without prejudice to the effects already produced. Yet, throughout the shared life, the union causes a certain mutual wealth that needs to be divided. This redistribution, made trough a community, a joint ownership or a company, ends up compensating the possible disparity in property. When the compensation is insufficient or cannot permit one of the spouses to support themselves, the Law organizes a minimal redistribution, taking into account the present assets of a spouse in order to grant a useful right to the other, especially concerning accommodation. Those two forms of distribution represent the expression of a new model: the distributive compensation

Lorsque l'on envisage les règlements pécuniaires d'un couple, on s'aperçoit que le droit positif ne tolère pas l'enrichissement injuste. La mise en œuvre d'un rééquilibrage a ainsi pour objet de compenser un équilibre rompu entre deux patrimoines. La présente étude entend confronter ces rééquilibrages à ce qui est (de jure lata) et ce qui doit être (de jure ferenda). La poursuite d'une politique cohérente exige, en effet, de respecter une hiérarchie légitime entre les différents modèles de couples sous peine de faire " exploser " le Droit. La nature du lien de couple doit conditionner les rééquilibrages car l'importance des droits représente la contrepartie des obligations auxquelles ses membres acceptent de se soumettre. Cette philosophie conduit à une gradation des effets entre le mariage, le pacte civil de solidarité et l'union libre. Il s'agit ni plus ni moins d'une application de l'adage " pas de droit sans devoir ". C'est la vision personnelle et originale que notre thèse prétend proposer
When reviewing a financial settlement for a couple, one notices that the law does not allow unjust enrichment. Thus, the purpose of financial balancing is to achieve an equility between couple members. This review aims at comparing the balancing process to what the rule is under law (de jure lata) and to what the rule should be (de jure ferenda). Indeed, pursuing a coherent policy requires one to consider an hierarchy among various form of couples. To do otherwise, by strict application of a hard rule of law, would create devastating effects. The nature of the couples' relationship and commitment must determine the degree of balancing, because each person's legal and financial rights are directly related to their respective obligations. This concept leads to the gradation of effects between marriage, registered partnerships and cohabitation. It is the enforcement of what the French refer to as " Pas de droit sans devoir " (No right without duty). This is the personal and original vision that my thesis offers

This study provides evidence for the psychometrics of a 25-item instrument that measures divorcing individuals' perceived level of interparental conflict. The Level of Conflict Assessment (LOCA) was administered to 484 individuals who were attending a state-mandated parent education seminar for divorcing or separating parents. The unique feature of this instrument is that it was designed to measure perceived levels of conflict at the time of divorce. The internal consistency reliability of the scale was very high (α = .94). Through generalized linear modeling regression (specifically Gamma with log-link), five out of eight items were statistically significant, establishing a level of scale validity.

The purpose of this research is to explore differences in the therapeutic alliance for High-Conflict Co-Parents (HCC) vs. Regular Couples. Therapeutic alliance refers to the relationship, consisting of a bond, and agreement on the tasks and goals of therapy, between at least two people in the therapeutic relationship. It was hypothesized that HCC clients would have lower therapeutic alliance scores compared to regular couple clients. The results supported this hypothesis. By identifying these differences, more research can be conducted to improve our understanding of how to strengthen the therapeutic alliance with HCC clients, leading to improved treatment of this population.

In families where parents present with intimate partner violence dynamics, courts routinely impose restraints restricting communications between those parents. However, the same courts also routinely fashion arrangements whereby those same parents share custody of their children. Children in families with this dynamic are often used as communication facilitators and triangulated by parental conflict. This grounded theory study generated a theory about parenting coordination work with high conflict couples with intimate partner violence dynamics. This theory may have utility for parenting coordinators working more effectively with the described population. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 professional parenting coordinators who have worked with high conflict parents with intimate partner violence. The qualitative data collected were analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding procedures with the additional use of research/mentor triangulation and researcher journaling. Results of this study yielded adaptive parenting coordination for intimate partner violence theory (APCIPV). This theory incorporates findings that specific modifications to the parenting coordination process, along with a concentrated effort to implement structured communication techniques and focused monitoring of exchanges between the parties can lead to coparenting despite the intimate partner violence dynamic. Further, it was revealed that high conflict parents, in general, often present with and report many of the same problematic behaviors even without a formal adjudication of domestic violence. Findings from this study can serve as an evidence basis for promoting the use of parenting coordinators as communication facilitators between high conflict parents with intimate partner violence to remove children from familial triangulation.

Au cours du XXème siècle, les comportements d'union se sont considérablement modifiés. Le mariage, élément fondateur de la vie de couple durant la première moitié du siècle, survient de plus en plus tard dans l'union à la fin du XXème siècle, et les premières unions sont de plus en plus souvent rompues. Les unions de rang 2 et plus deviennent plus fréquentes. L'analyse régionale de l'évolution des comportements d'union à la fin du XXème siècle met en évidence une claire dichotomie entre les réhions du nord (nord-est) de la France, où les premières unions sont relativement plus fréquentes et plus précoces, et celles du sud où, au contraire, les premières unions surviennent moins fréquemment et plus tardivement. Les corrélations statistiques régionales entre les phénomènes liés à la première union et la fécondité sont, en dépit de la baisse de l'intensité de la primonuptialité dans les générationsn stables et dolides. Si la fécondité est toujours liée à la primonuptialité dans les générations du milieu du XXème siècle, elle l'est de plus en plus avec le fait de vivre une première union (donnant lieu ou non à un premier mariage). Une large part des variations régionales des niveaux de fécondité saont ainsi expliqués par les variations régionales de comportement d'union
During the XXth century, union's behaviours were considerably changed. Mariage, founder element of couple life during the first half of the century, happens frequently later in unions at the end of the XXth century, and first unions are more and more often broken. Second unions become more frequent. Regional analysis of the union behaviours evolution at the end of the XXth century shows a clear dichotomy between the north(northeast), where first unions are relatively more frequent and more precocious, and the south, were, at the opposite, first unions happen less frequently and later. Regional statistical correlations between phenomena linked to the first union and fertility are, in spite of the fall of intensity of primonuptiality in the generations, are stable and strong. If fertility is always linked to primonuptiality in the generations of the middle of the WWth century, it's more and more linked to the fact to live a first union (with or without marriage). So, a broad part of regional fertility variations are explain by regional union behaviours's variations

La multiplication des couples mixtes, combinée à l'augmentation du nombre de conflits nés de la dissolution de ces unions, rend la question de la séparation des couples en Droit International Privé (DIP) incontournable. Traditionnellement, les outils du DIP permettent de résoudre les conflits liés à la séparation, que ce soit par le biais de l'ordre public ou des conventions internationales. Ainsi, soit les difficultés sont résolues grâce à l'application de règles sur lesquelles se sont entendus les différents Etats concernés par cette séparation, soit il est nécessaire que le for fasse jouer le mécanisme de l'ordre public pour faire échec aux propositions étrangères et favoriser l'application de sa propre loi, dans le cas où les solutions proposées par l'autre Etat sont absolument contraires à ses valeurs. En revanche, les limites du DIP apparaissent lorsqu'il est question de traiter de la séparation des nouvelles formes de couples. En effet, la notion de couple est devenue protéiforme et les règles de DIP doivent appréhender les enjeux liés aux couples mixtes qui peuvent être hétérosexuels ou homosexuels, mais également être liés de façon contractuelle ou légale. Aussi, des solutions propres à chaque type de couple doivent être recherchées car la multiplicité des situations à envisager est telle que le recours aux outils traditionnels du DIP n'est plus satisfaisant. Harmoniser la différence, tel est le défi lancé par la question de la séparation du couple en DIP. C'est ainsi que si elle a tout d'abord été créatice de règles de DIP, la séparation du couple a également fait apparaître les limites de ce dernier, avec les cas de séparation des nouvelles formes du couple
The increased number of mixed marriages, combined with the rising disputes borne from the dissolution of marriage, help make sense on the issue of mixed marriage separation in Private International Law (PIL). Traditionally, tools in PIL allow solving disputes linked to the separating couple thanks to the public regulation or to the international conventions. In this way, issues are resolved by the application of the rules based on an agreement of estate concerned by the separation, or by the application of their own law when the solution proposed by the other estate is a contrary to the estate values. By contrast, PIL limitations appear with the matter of new forms of couple's separation. Indeed, the meaning of a couple is various and the rules of the PIL challenge the stakes of the mixed marriage, which can be homosexual or heterosexual, but also can be legal or contractual. In this way, the research has to be focused on a custom solution for each type of couple because the diversity in these situations is so important that the traditional tools of the PIL are not sufficient. Harmonizing the difference is the core challenge launched by the matter of the couples' separation in PIL. In this way, rules have been created, revealing the limitations of these rules in the case of new forms of couple

Mariage et concubinage sont deux formes de la vie en couple reconnues par le droit et la société. Même si elle a perdu son exclusivité, la première est la plus forte de sens puisqu'elle est la forme institutionnelle de la vie en commun. L'institution matrimoniale reste le modèle de référence sur la base duquel les droits et obligations du mariage sont transposés au concubinage, soit par quelques succédanés du droit commun, soit par l'intermédiaire d'un statut spécifique qui, en France, se nomme pacte civil de solidarité (PACS). L'émergence de règles juridiques entre concubins vise alors le même objectif que celui poursuivi en mariage. Ce qui importe est la garantie de la sécurité économique d'existence des membres du couple et surtout du plus faible en cas de rupture. Les conditions de vie sont au centre des obligations conjugales. Ces dernières ont pour objet d'organiser la vie du couple, quel que soit son mode de constitution, et survivent au-delà de la rupture de l'union afin de préserver le plus démuni dans ses conditions matérielles de vie
Living in and out of wedlock are two life choices both recognized by law and society. In spite of having lost part of its appeal, the institution of marriage remains the more powerful of the two as it is the institutionalized form of life partnership. The institution of marriage or wedlock, is the bluepoint to all life partnerships, the basis from which all rights and obligations of marriage are transfered to common law usage either trough substitutes in (common) law or trough the means of particular statutes namely the PACS (civil pact of solidarity) in France. The emergence of judicial rules between unmarried partners therefore tend toward the same goal as that of married partners. What is of import, is the economic safeguard of the weaker, or less well off member of the union. Living standards are at the heart of marital obligations which are there to ensure the smooth running of the partnership however the latter came to be constituted. These obligations survive beyond the breakdown of the union so as to protect the weaker member in the material aspects of his or her life

Le contexte de la rupture du couple, qu’il soit marié, uni par un pacte civil de solidarité, fiancé ou en concubinage, est un moment propice à la lésion des intérêts de ses membres. La question de la réparation des préjudices subis surgit alors, et la tentation est grande d’en imputer la responsabilité à l’autre membre du couple, surtout s’il est à l’origine de la rupture. Le droit commun de la responsabilité civile délictuelle, fondé sur l’article 1382 du Code civil, est une voie empruntable par chacun pour obtenir réparation ; demeurait la question de son adaptation à la matière. L’analyse des décisions qui le mettent en application à un cas de rupture de couple révèle une tendance nette, celle de l’utilisation à titre de sanction d’un mécanisme en principe réparateur. Cette résistance jurisprudentielle au mouvement d’objectivation et à la neutralité croissante du législateur dans l’organisation des rapports de couple se devait d’être précisée et expliquée. La présente étude vérifie, d’abord, la réalité du phénomène : l’article 1382 du Code civil est utilisé comme peine privée, ce qui met en avant la fonction répressive de la responsabilité civile. Elle s’attache ensuite à déterminer les valeurs que le juge cherche à protéger par la mise en œuvre de cette sanction. Au-delà de la diversité des comportements sanctionnés, c’est le travail d’équilibre réalisé par le juge entre droit à réparation et liberté de rupture que la thèse vise à souligner
The context of a couple’s break-up, whether they are married, in a civil partnership, engaged or cohabiting, is conducive to prejudice the respective interests of either person in the couple. As the issue of compensation for damages emerges, the temptation is to blame the other person, especially when this one can be regarded as the cause of the break-up. An action can be brought on the basis of tort liability in the section 1382 of the French civil Code. The question of its implementation was still open. A detailed analysis of the case-law shows that this legal basis, which is supposed to award compensation, is actually used as a punishment. This resistance to the development of objectification and to the increasing legal neutrality in the organization of the couple’s relationships had to be clarified and explained. The first objective of the study was to grasp the reality of the phenomenon : tort liability is used as a “private penalty”, which highlights its repressive function. The second purpose was to determine the values that judges are trying to protect through this particular way of application of the law. Beyond the diversity of sanctioned behaviours, the thesis aims at bringing out the role of judges in finding a right way between the right to compensation and the freedom to break-up

La loi du 15 novembre 1999 relative au pacte civil de solidarité marque l'entrée du terme " couple" dans le Code civil. Aux couples mariés s'opposent les concubins hétérosexuels ou homosexuels répondant à la définition de l'article 515-8 du Code civil, les concubins qui ont une vie commune non stable ni continue ou qui ne vivent pas ensemble, échappant à la définition même du texte, les partenaires d'un pacte civil de solidarité hétérosexuels ou homosexuels. L'épreuve de la séparation révèle dans quelle mesure le mode de vie, en mariage ou hors mariage, garantit la sécurité économique du membre du couple le plus faible. Pour tous les individus et particulièrement ceux qui ne sont pas engagés dans les liens du mariage, la gradation dans cette protection dépend de la dose de volonté que les membres du couple insufflent dans l'organisation de leurs relations. Le règlement des conséquences de la séparation a pour ressort la volonté des membres du couple. Toutefois, cette liberté contractuelle ne peut s'exercer dans une sphère privée, en dehors de tout contrôle étatique. Les époux ne peuvent se démarier sans l'intervention du juge. Quant aux concubins, plus ils veulent se passer du droit a priori, plus ils en ont besoin a posteriori. Le mouvement de contractualisation et de désinstitutionnalisation du couple n'est pas sans limites. En dépit de la banalisation des rapports patrimoniaux des individus vivant en couple et de la tendance à la conjugalisation du droit patrimonial de la famille, il ne saurait exister " un " droit patrimonial du couple tant la notion de couple revêt des réalités variées. Le couple ne saurait, en tant qu'entité juridique reconnue, être doté d'un statut générateur d'effets juridiques applicables à toutes les unions répondant à sa définition. La société n'en doit pas moins s'efforcer d'assurer l'avenir du statut économique des membres du couple, envisagé comme lieu de mise en commun des ressources des intéressés, quel que soit leur mode de vie
The law relative to the civil pact of solidarity marks the entry of the term couple in the Civil code. In the married couples oppose the heterosexual or homosexual common law husbands answering the definition of the article 515-8 of the Civil code, the common law husbands who have a not stable common life nor continue or who do not live together, escaping the definition of the text, the heterosexual or homosexual partners of a civil pact of solidarity. The test of the separation reveals in which measure the way of life, in marriage or out of wedlock, guarantees the economic safety of the weakest member of the couple. For all the individuals and particularly those who are not engaged in the marriage bonds, the gradation in this protection depends on the dose of will which the members of the couple breathe in the organization of their relations. The regulation of the consequences of the separation has for spring the will of the members of the couple. This contractual freedom can not exercise except any state controI. The spouses can not "démarier" without the intervention of the judge. As for the common law husbands, the more they want to do without the right, the more they need it. The movement of contractualisation and "desinstitutionnalisation" of the couple is not unlimited. In spite of the vulgarizing of the patrimonial reports of the individuals living in couple and on the tendency to the conjugalisation of the patrimonial right of the family, he would not know how to exist a single patrimonial right of the couple so much the notion of couple takes on varied realities. The couple would not know, as recognized legal entity, to be endowed with a generative status of legal effects applicable to all the unions answering her definition. The society should not less try hard to garantee the future of the economic status of the members of the couple, envisaged as place of stake in common resources of the interested, whatever is their way of life

Įsipareigojimas yra sudėtingas, įvairiai suprantamas ir patiriamas fenomenas. Darbe bandoma išsiaiškinti, kaip įsipareigojimus poroje supranta, patiria jauni suaugę, kurie patyrė tėvų skyrybas. Kitų šalių atliekami tyrimais rodo, jog suaugę skyrybų vaikai (toliau – SSV) išmoksta tokių elgesio modelių šeimoje, kurie neparemia poros abipusių intymių ryšių kūrimo. Pasak vienų autorių, SSV pasiekia savo ankstyvąją brandą, sunerimę dėl meilės, įsipareigojimų ir santuokos, nes bijo nesėkmės ir sužeidimo. Daugelis negali pradėti santykių, nes jų atstūmimo baimė tokia stipri, jog jie gali ilgus metus vengti artimų santykių.Tuo tarpu kiti teigia, jog SSV sukuria santuokas anksčiau nei jauni suaugę, kurių tėvai kartu gyvena. Šiame darbe buvo siekiama išsiaiškinti kaip tyrimo dalyviai patyrę tėvų skyrybas išgyvena įsipareigojimo patyrimą bei apibrėžti, kaip patiriamas ir suprantamas įsipareigojimas poros santykiuose, jaunų suaugusių, kurių tėvai išsiskyrę. Tyrime dalyvavo 8 tyrimo dalyviai (4 moterys, 4 vyrai), kurių aprašyti įsipareigojimo patyrimo išgyvenimai buvo analizuojami fenomenologinės analizės pagal A.Giorgi metodu. Iš 8 sudarytų specifinių situacinių įsipareigojimo patyrimo poros santykiuose apibrėžimų buvo suformuluotas galutinis bendras fenomeno apibrėžimas. Įsipareigojimo patyrimas apibrėžtas kaip procesas. Galutinis bendras apibrėžimas atskleidžia, kad įsipareigojimo patyrimas – psichologinė būsena, kai jausmų kaitoje priimami ir įgyvendinami sprendimai, siekiant santykių... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]
The phenomenon of commitments is complex, variously perceived and experienced. In this study it is trying to explain how Adult Children of Divorce (ACOD) perceive and experience commitments in Couple Relations. Other countries researches show that ACOD have learned in the family the behaviour‘s models which do not support the development of reciprocal, close and intimate couple relations. According to some authors, ACOD reach their early adolescence with anxiety about love, commitments and marriage, because they are afraid of the failure and wounds. Most of them can not begin the relationships because the fear of alienation is so strong that they might avoid close relations for a long time. Whereas another authors say that ACOD take in marriages earlier than adult children from intact families. The goal of the present research is to reveal in what way the phenomenon is experienced by particular individuals and what is the unique experience of commitments in couple relations ACOD in each concrete case. Eight Adult Children of Divorce (4 women, 4men) who have the partners participated in the study. The method of phenomenological analysis of A.Giorgi was applied in the study. Eight specific situational definitions of the phenomenon were defined. The total final definition of the experience of commitment in Couples relationships of Adult Children of Divorce was formulated with the reference to these specific definitions. The experience of commitments in Couple’s Relations is... [to full text]

Dans un contexte d'effacement de l'institution familiale derrière l'individu, l'étude met en lumière l'émergence d'un impératif alimentaire commun à tous les couples. Le mariage opère comme un modèle vers lequel l'autorité publique fait converger l'union libre et le pacs. A travers l'émergence d'un modèle familial de couple fondé sur la solidarité alimentaire, l'autorité publique développe un droit familial fondé sur un utilitarisme « économique et social ». Mais cette modélisation est incertaine et met en lumière les incohérences existantes dans le traitement juridique des formes de couple. Analyse critique et prospective, si l'étude identifie la solidarité alimentaire comme un enjeu du traitement juridique contemporain des formes de couple, elle réfute l'idée d'un alignement autour d'un modèle unique. Elle envisage les voies possibles d'un droit de collaboration et de protection alimentaire adapté aux différentes formes de couple. Diversité, équité, liberté, sécurité juridique et engagement, en sont les principes directeurs. Elle conduit à réaffirmer le principe de liberté qui préside à l'union libre fermant la voie à toute idée de création d'un statut familial au profit d'un maintien de l'union libre dans la sphère du droit commun et d'une solidarité alimentaire conventionnelle. L'étude propose la création d'un devoir de collaboration alimentaire pendant l'union, unifié entre époux et entre partenaires, adapté aux attentes des individus, conciliant solidarité et autonomie. Articulé autour d'un devoir de protection alimentaire à la dissolution de l'union, ce droit se veut comme une des réponses aux enjeux économiques sociaux et démographiques de la France contemporaine
In a context where the family is losing ground to the individual, the study highlights the emergence of a requirement for cohabitants to provide each other with financial support. Marriage serves as an example on which French public authorities model forms of common-law union and “civil solidarity pacts” (equivalent to British Civil Partnerships). With the development of a family model of the couple founded on financial interdependence, French legislators are paving the way for a new set of family laws based on pragmatic economic and social principles. However, this modelling is flawed and brings to light inconsistencies in the current legal treatment of the different forms of union. A critical and forward-thinking analysis, the study identifies mutual financial commitments as being at stake in the contemporary legal treatment of the various forms of partnership, but equally refutes the notion of any adherence to a single approach. The study envisages the possibility of legal codes of collaboration and financial protection adapted to the different forms of union. Diversity, fairness, freedom, legal security and commitment are the guiding principles. The study leads to a reaffirmation of the principle of free-choice which presides over common-law unions, thus excluding any notion of the formalisation of one set of rules for the family, arguing instead in favour of the conservation of informal unions within the sphere of common law and of conventional obligations of financial support. The study proposes the introduction of a requirement for economic collaboration throughout the duration of the union, acknowledged by spouses and partners, and adapted to the individuals' expectations, thus reconciling mutual obligations with independence. Recognising the need for individual protection upon the dissolution of a partnership, this legal framework aims to provide an answer to the economic, social and demographic questions at stake in contemporary France

La vie commune inhérente aux couples qu’ils soient mariés, pacsés, entraîne la création d’intérêts patrimoniaux entre ses membres dont la liquidation est rendue plus complexe par l’existence d’opérations non dénouées au moment de la formation ou de la dissolution de l’union. En effet, les régimes de biens se trouvent en difficulté pour appréhender certaines opérations dont le résultat demeure incertain. Or, ces opérations se sont multipliées. Elles sont le support technique de certaines rémunérations versées à un des membres du couple (participation, stock-options, etc), le fruit de son épargne (assurance-vie, contrat de capitalisation…) ou résultent des modalités d’acquisition d’un bien (prêt à intérêt, promesses synallagmatiques de vente ou compromis de vente). Leur liquidation est devenue d’autant plus conflictuelle et difficile qu’elle peut intervenir consécutivement à un divorce ou une séparation.Devant l’incertitude juridique ou économique qui marque les opérations non dénouées, on peut alors se demander comment procéder à leur liquidation alors que leur résultat est par définition inconnu.La diversité de ces mécanismes dont la conclusion est complexe ou le dénouement retardé, rend ainsi nécessaire une étude d’ensemble tant sur la question des critères de qualification déterminant l’entrée des biens dans une des différentes masses, ou dans l’indivision, que sur la problématique de l’évaluation, où les règles du valorisme apparaissent en difficulté. Cette étude a pour finalité de dégager des solutions équitables pour la liquidation des opérations non dénouées. Autrement dit, elle vise à mettre en évidence des solutions liquidatives susceptibles de préserver la justice distributive. Afin d’y parvenir, il est nécessaire d’adopter de critères de qualification adéquats et d’évaluer avec justesse les avantages économiques ou des dettes issues des opérations non dénouées
Living together, which is an inherent feature of a couple, leads to the creation of common proprietary interests whose distribution is made even more complex by ongoing contracts at the moment of the couple’s union or dissolution, which the French doctrine refers to as "opérations non dénouées". These contracts are characterized by the fact that their effects are still running at the time of the formation or dissolution of the union; they may be only partially executed or not exectuted at all at the time of the couple’s union or dissolution.Indeed, property law struggles to comprehend some contracts whose outcome remains uncertain.And yet, the number of these contracts has significantly increased. They may be the technical basis of some fees paid to one of the spouses (through profit sharing or stock option), the result of his or her savings (life insurance policies or capitalization contracts) or that of the acquisition terms and conditions of property (an interest loan, an option, a preliminary sales agreement). The issue of a couple’s liquidation and distribution of assets has recently become a greater source of conflict and difficulty insofar as it occurs following a divorce or a separation.Faced with the legal and economic uncertainty pertaining to the "opérations non dénouées", one may then wonder how to deal with their distribution even though their results are precisely unknown.The diversity of these contracts, whose conclusion is somewhat complex and whose settlement is delayed makes it necessary to conduct a comprehensive study of the criteria that should be used to determine whether the assets belong to one of the spouses, or fall within the realm of undivided property, as well as of the issue of valuation. The purpose of this study is to suggest fair solutions for the distribution of these "opérations non dénouées". In other words, it aims at proposing solutions, which are more likely to ensure a fair distribution between the spouses. To achieve the goal of ensuring distributive justice, it is necessary to set appropriate criteria and to valuate as fairly as possible the economic advantages or the debts resulting from these "opérations non dénouées"

Cette recherche aborde la médiation familiale comme une nouvelle pratique sociale en expansion dans plusieurs pays. Plus particulièrement, elle interroge les spécificités des modèles de médiation familiale dans des pays aux traditions et aux cultures bien différentes comme la France et le Brésil. Cette étude met en évidence des modèles dominants et leur influence sur les pratiques des médiateurs. Elle identifie leurs principales caractéristiques et les pratiques de médiation qui sont reconnues au Brésil et en France, ainsi que leurs effets auprès des couples.La recherche a été élaborée à partir d’un recueil de données construites par une enquête par entretien semi-directif et une enquête par questionnaire auprès des médiateurs familiaux français et brésiliens et auprès des couples bénéficiaires des services de médiation. La méthode d’analyse des données a été faite par informatique à l’aide du logiciel Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Dans les deux pays, les résultats indiquent que la médiation extrajudiciaire convient mieux aux couples interviewés pour les raisons suivantes : elle se situe en amont de la procédure judiciaire, même pour les couples déjà engagés dans une médiation judiciaire ou pour ceux qui ont fait l’objet d’une ordonnance du juge ; elle favorise une meilleure communication dans le couple ; elle obtient une plus grande cote de satisfaction de la part de ceux qui en ont bénéficié ; elle est davantage recommandée aux autres personnes, surtout au Brésil ; elle n’est pas imposée mais plutôt perçue comme un atout pour la gestion des conflits.Applicable aussi bien au modèle de médiation familiale brésilien qu’au français (qui sont pourtant différents de par leur niveau d’évolution), la médiation extrajudiciaire est plus efficace dans le règlement des conflits, car elle favorise, entre autre, une meilleure communication, ainsi qu’un taux de satisfaction plus élevé dans le couple et chez les médiateurs
This research approaches family mediation as a new social practice in expansion in many countries. In particular, it questions the specific models of family mediation in countries with different traditions and cultures as well as France and Brazil. This study highlights the dominant models and their influence on the practices of mediators. It identifies the main characteristics and practices of mediation that are recognized in Brazil and France, and their effects on couples.The research was drawn from a collection of data constructed by semi-guided interviews and questionnaires applied to both the French and Brazilian family mediators as couples who are benefited by mediation services. The method of data analysis was done by computer using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) for organizing, processing and descriptive data analysis.In both countries, the results indicate that extrajudicial mediation is more appropriate to the interviewed couples for the following reasons: lies before court proceedings, even for those couples already undergoing a judicial mediation or for those who were subject for a determination by the judge; develops a better communication between the couple; obtains higher satisfaction rate from those who were benefited by it; is most recommended to other people, especially in Brazil; is not imposed but rather perceived as an advantage for the management of conflicts.Extrajudicial mediation is applied to both the French model as the Brazilian one (which are however different in level of evolution), and is more effective in the regulation of conflicts, because it favors, among other things, better communication, and a higher rate of satisfaction by the couples and mediators

Si la chute de la primo-nuptialité au profit de la cohabitation et la hausse de la divortialité observées en Occident depuis les années 1960 ou 1970 ont été bien décrites, leur explication reste élusive. Cette thèse vise à améliorer notre compréhension de ces tendances, ainsi que d’autres phénomènes sociodémographiques, en présentant de façon systématique des modèles explicatifs proposés par la théorie du choix rationnel, puis en les testant empiriquement sur données agrégées (internationales et françaises) ainsi que sur données françaises individuelles (modèles de régression et modèles de durée estimés principalement à partir de l’enquête Étude de l’Histoire Familiale (1999)). Ainsi, cette thèse aborde les questions suivantes : 1. Pourquoi les Français se marient-ils de moins en moins souvent et de plus en plus tard, et pourquoi cohabitent-ils de plus en plus ?2. Pourquoi au sein des couples l’homme est-il généralement plus âgé que la femme ?3. Pourquoi les couples français divorcent-ils et, plus généralement, rompent-ils de plus en plus souvent ?4. Pourquoi tels couples rompent-ils, plutôt que tels autres ?5. Pourquoi est-ce que ce sont les femmes, et non les hommes, qui demandent le divorce et initient la rupture d’union?Au total, malgré les inévitables difficultés que peut parfois poser son application à telles ou telles données, il apparaît que la théorie du choix rationnel constitue pour le chercheur en sciences sociales un outil précieux : l’utilisation systématique de cette théorie fournit une meilleure compréhension des phénomènes observés (en plus d’offrir des pistes de recherche originales)
While the drop in marriage rates and the increase in cohabitation and divorce rates that occurred in Western countries since the 1960s or 1970s are well known, the reasons why these trends developed remain elusive. This thesis aims at understanding these and other sociodemographic phenomena by using rational-choice explanatory models and testing them on aggregate data (both international and French) and on individual French data (regression and event-history models estimated mainly from the French Study of Family History survey (1999)). Thus, this thesis addresses the following questions: 1. Why do French people get married less and less and later and later, and why do they cohabit more and more?2. Why are men generally older than their spouse?3. Why do French couples get divorced and separated more and more ?4. Why do couples with certain characteristics get divorced more often than others ?5. Why is it women (not men) who generally file for divorce and initiate the divorce?It appears that, despite some unavoidable difficulties in its application to certain data, rational-choice theory is a precious tool for social scientists: a systematic use of this theory not only gives a better understanding of observed phenomena, it also raises original research questions

The present research studies marital dissolution using data from both spouses from the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH) and uses the method of multiple imputation to handle missing data. Role theory and another four approaches (social exchange theory, stake theory, gender perspective and heterogeneity perspective) are used to make a methodological argument why using data from both spouses is necessary to study marital stability. Five data sets are imputed and there are 3,777 observations in each imputed data set. Main research findings are as followed. First, the model fits of the data from both spouses on marital dissolution are significantly better than the model fits of the data from one spouse only; therefore, gathering perceptual data from both spouses is necessary to understand marital dissolution. Second, overall, the effects of most spousal discrepancies do not support the heterogeneity perspective. Third, the model fits of the wife only model are significantly better than the model fits of the husband only model across different periods of marital duration, and the predictability of wives' variables is more stable than husbands' variables. Therefore, if only individual-level data are available to use, researchers are encouraged to use wives' data rather than husbands' data. Fourth, the predictability of factors varies with marital duration and gender in the models with data from both spouses.

D'origine essentiellement religieuse, la répudiation est la rupture unilatérale et discrétionnaire du mariage décidée par l'époux. En droit musulman, elle permet au mari de mettre un terme à la relation maritale sans avoir à se justifier. En France, cette institution est critiquée et même rejetée tant elle paraît étrangère à la civilisation européenne. Pourtant, à y regarder de plus près, la rupture unilatérale et discrétionnaire du couple existe en droit français sous l'appellation de " divorce pour altération définitive du lien conjugal " pour le mariage, mais encore de "rupture unilatérale " s'agissant du pacte civil de solidarité et du concubinage. La différence tient au titulaire de l'exercice de ce droit, alors que la répudiation ne peut être mise en oeuvre que par l'homme, la rupture unilatérale et discrétionnaire du mariage, du PACS et du concubinage peut être décidée par l'homme ou la femme. Toutefois, fondamentalement, les effets sont les mêmes : l'un décide, l'autre subit. Que la rupture soit judiciaire ou non judiciaire, ce mode de dissolution laisse perplexe quant à l'attitude du juge et du législateur français face à la répudiation. Le premier refuse, depuis le 17 février 2004, de reconnaître des effets aux répudiations musulmanes en France sous couvert de la violation du principe d'égalité entre époux. Le second, cautionne la rupture unilatérale et discrétionnaire au sein du couple.

La thèse s'organise autour des deux étapes principales de l'aventure d'un couple : la formation d'une famille et l'échec llié au divorce. La Valachie et le 18e siècle sont les deux limites, spatiale et temporelle, de cette analyse. La recherche porte sur des archives judiciaires inédites qui sont le produit d'une importante institution : le tribunal ecclésiastique. Ce dispositif de pouvoir a fonctionné entre 1738-1964 auprès de la Métropolie de Bucarest et il était chargé de l'instruction des procès matrimoniaux et les mauvaises moeurs. Et pour compléter l'information, on a aussi dépouillé des archives privées, notamment des testaments, des actes dotaux, des correspondances etc. Notre démarche d'histoire sociale essaie, à partir d'une histoire des mentalités, de la micro-histoire ou de l'anthropologie sociale, de refaire l'univers quotidien des gens et leurs pratiques matrimoniales. La première partie analyse le discours de l'Eglise orthodoxe à travers les archives créées par son tribunal, parce qu'elle établit des normes et prêche des conseils sur la vie d'un individu. La recherche focalise surtout sur les pratiques judiciaires dégagées par le tribunal et les comportements des gens. La deuxième partie examine la longue formation d'un couple : le choix des partenaires, l'élaboration d'une dot, les fiançailles, les comportements prénuptiaux des jeunes, les noces et les rituels. L'élément économique joue un rôle essentiel dans la constitution d'un couple et s'ajoute aux éléments sociaux et religieux. La dernière partie étudie les discours engendrés par l'échec du couple. L'Eglise Orthodoxe roumaine a accepté et géré le divorce, mais pour des motifs bien définis par la loi canonique : les mauvais traitements, l'adultère, l'abandon du domicile conjugal, l'impuissance masculine, la maladie, le désir de prendre l'habit monacal etc. Notre recherche ouvre de nombreuses perspectives concernant les mentalités ou les structures de la vie quotidienne
The present Ph. D. Dissertation is concerned, as its title suggests, with the construction and deconstruction of the couple in Wallachia during the eighteenth century. The thesis is structured according to two major steps in the life of couple : the way in which a family created and the failure related to divorce. The source material of my dissertation consists of the unpublished judicial archive produced by the ecclesiastical court of justice. This important institution functioned without interruption between 1738-1964 beside the Bucharest Metropolitan church. It attributions covered the matrimonial cases as welle as those related to the "bad morals". My analysis is a social historical one ; my primary aim was to rebuild the daily life of the social actors of marriage history, using the methodological tools of the history of mentalities, micro-history, or social anthropology. The first part of the thesis offers an analysis of the Orthodox Church in Wallachia as an institution, which sets the norms and recommendations regarding the life of the individuals. My research dwelled mostly on the judicial practices of the ecclesiastical court of justice, which revealed the tight connection between the subject and his/her community. The second part of the dissertation follows closely each step of the long adventure of a couple : the choice of the partner, the dowry, the engagement, the wedding, and all related rituals. Beside the social and religious factors, the economic considerations played a major role in establishing a new family. The third part of the thesis analysed the discourses emerging around the failure of a couple. Divorce had been always accepted and garanted by the Orthodox Church but only on sollid grounds, specified by the canon law : bad treatment, adultery, abandonment of the conjugal home, illness, or one of the partner's retreats into a monastery. The conclusion sums up the main findings of th thesis and sets tasks for further research

En France, alors qu'un quart des premières unions sont rompues dans les cinq années qui suivent leur formation, un nombre croissant de personnes vivent les conséquences sociales, familiales et économiques de la séparation. Ce travail porte sur les comportements familiaux après la séparation d'une première union cohabitante, et explicite les conséquences démographiques de la montée des ruptures. Nos résultats sont tirés d'analyses démographiques et statistiques effectuées à partir des données de l'enquête « Étude des relations intergénérationnelles » (Érfi, Ined-Insee, 2005), de l'«Enquête familles et employeurs » (EFE, Ined, 2004) et de l'enquête « Étude de l'histoire familiale » (EHF, Insee-Ined, 1999). Nous tirons trois grands enseignements de cette thèse. 1) La fréquence de remise en couple des femmes a augmenté au début des années 1980, au cours de la période de grands changements familiaux. Chez les hommes elle a légèrement baissé dans les dernières décennies, ce qui peut être lié à des changements d'ordre socio-économique. Les femmes séparées ayant des enfants se remettent moins souvent en couple, et celui-ci est alors plus fragile. 2) Les hommes et les femmes ont des comportements conjugaux différents, qui dépendent de leurs caractéristiques socioculturelles. Les personnes ayant vécu une première union plus engagée – par sa longueur, son statut ou même sa fécondité pour les hommes – paraissent plus attachées à la vie de couple en général. Notamment, les deuxièmes unions semblent plus stables lorsqu'elles suivent une première union engagée. 3) La hausse de la fréquence des ruptures serait à l'origine d'un retard et d'une baisse de la fécondité, car la séparation réduit la période de conception pour les femmes. La survenue d'une naissance dans une deuxième union dépend des caractéristiques combinées des deux conjoints : leur âge, et leurs enfants respectifs. Elle est particulièrement peu probable lorsque la femme atteint des âges moins fertiles ou si les deux conjoints ont déjà des enfants lors de la mise en couple.

Research on international relationships is plentiful but research on the roles of social contacts in international relationships has not been forthcoming. Additionally, recent research on companionate marriages suggests that couples who have relationships that mimic companionate marriages have weak ties to their community. This research uses participant narratives to understand the social network of internationally married couples and divorced individuals in an effort to understand the roles that social contacts may play in international marriages. The research findings challenge pre-existing arguments about the companionate model of marriage and suggest that simplistic marriage models are inadequate frameworks used to understand complex marriages.

Thesis (M.A. (Social work)) -- University of Limpopo, 2017.
The overall aim of this study is to explore factors that contribute towards divorce among young couples in the Lebowakgomo area of Limpopo Province. The objectives of this study were to identify factors contributing towards divorce among young couples in Lebowakgomo, and to establish whether the causes of divorce among young couples in Lebowakgomo are the same as those identified in the literature. The research used the qualitative method in the study and the exploratory research design to investigate the factors contributing to divorce among young couples at Lebowakgomo Township. The target group was divorced young adults up to the age of 35 years who had been married for the period of not more than ten years. The researcher used snowball sampling because he knew someone who met the criteria for inclusion in this study. The sample size was based on the principle of saturation which suggests that data collection stops when there is no new theme emerging. The researcher reached a point of saturation at participant six. The researcher used the semi-structured interview to collect data. This allowed the researcher to elicit information about the respondents’ thoughts, feelings and perceptions as open-ended questions were used. The researcher used Interpretative Phenomenological Data Analysis (IPA) which allowed the researcher to explore in detail how the participants made sense of their personal and social world. This study found that sudden character change, lack of and poor communication, financial problems, abuse and infidelity are associated with divorce among young couples. It also emerged in the study that mastering all the stages of family life cycle can reduce the chances of divorce among young couples. This can be achieved by ensuring that young couples receive pre-marital counselling before they enter into marriage. In addition, after entering into marriage young couples should attend marital enrichment programmes.

The current study sought to examine the marriage mentoring model as a method to restore marriages among Christian believers. This thesis first assessed the dissolution of marriages through divorce in order to understand its causes, and included a study of the Christian Scriptures regarding divorce and the topic of marriage. In addition, current literature was reviewed in an attempt to better comprehend how mentoring worked and how it may be utilized as a divorce prevention method among troubled marriages. Interviews were then conducted with Christian couples who had experienced marital distress but were reconciled. The responses were then analyzed. The study was unique in that it examined Christian couples in established marriages that were in marital distress when they started the mentoring process. Thirteen couples participated in the study. The couples lived in various states across the country: Arizona, Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Christian couples were sought through churches and Christian counseling centers in the continental United States that have a marriage mentoring ministry and also through the recommendation of select seminary professors, church practitioners, or online marriage mentoring websites. Past studies on marriage mentoring have shown that mentoring resulted in an increase in communication and a decrease in marital conflict among pre-marital or newly married couples. The results of the current study indicated that marriage mentoring was also beneficial to Christian couples who had been married for several years and were on the verge of divorce. This study has shown that no matter the severity of the marital distress, marriages can be repaired and can flourish with marriage mentoring.

碩士
中國文化大學
生活應用科學系碩士在職專班
103
This study aims to explore the perception of “marital quality” and “attitudes toward divorce” of married couples in Taipei. It also investigates different views between different “personal background factors” and “familial background factors” couples. The correlation of “marital quality” and “attitudes toward divorce” is presented as well. Moreover, how would “personal background factors” and “familial background factors” influence the “martial quality” and “attitudes toward divorce” is also probed. Purposive sampling and snow sampling were adopted to on the samples of 600 Taipei married couples, 559 samples were all valid returns (93.16%). A “personal background questionnaire”, “parental martial scale”, and “attitude toward divorce scale” were used as tools. Data processing were performed by the software SPSS for Windows 22.0 with the statistical methods such as descriptive statistics, one-sample t-test, independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, Scheffe’s Method, Pearson’s product-moment correlation and multiple regression analysis. The results indicated that: A. The current situation of “marital quality” and “attitudes toward divorce” of the Taipei married couples: 1. Data show that the “marital quality” in Taipei is positive. The “acceptance with respect” dimension appears the highest quality; while the “affective interaction” reveals the worst quality. 2. The “attitudes toward divorce” of Taipei married couples tend to be open. They have higher tendency to accept divorce. “The intentions of divorce” dimension shows the highest degree of acceptance. The “marital sustainability” reveals the most conservative attitudes and the least acceptance. B. The difference between “personal background factors” and “marital quality” in Taipei married couples: 1. There is low negatively significant correlation among “age”, “marital years”, “children numbers” and “marital quality.” That is, the couples who are older, have longer marital years, and have more children tend to have worse marital quality. 2. There is low positively significant correlation among “education”, “sexual satisfaction” and “marital quality.” Data revealed that the couples who receive more education and enjoy better sexual satisfaction have higher martial quality. C. The discrepancy in Taipei married couples’ marital quality based on familial background factors: There is low negatively significant correlation among “spouse marital conflicts”, “acceptance of extramarital relationship”, “perception of familial financial pressure” “parental marital conflicts”, “attitudes toward parental divorce” and “martial quality.” The study indicated that the couples who have more conflicts with spouses, higher acceptance of extramarital relationship, more partial marital conflicts and higher acceptance of partial divorce have worse marital quality. D. The discrepancy in Taipei married couples’ “attitudes toward divorce” according to “personal background factors”: 1.There is significant difference in Taipei married couples’ “attitudes toward divorce” based on the “gender” factor. “Wives” are more liberal than their “husbands” and tend to accept divorce. 2.There is low negatively significant correlation between “sexual satisfaction” and “attitudes toward divorce.” The results indicate that the married couples with higher sexual satisfaction hold more conservative attitude toward divorce. E. The discrepancy in Taipei married couples’ “attitudes toward divorce” according to “familial background factors”: There is low positively significant correlation among Taipei married couples’ “spouse marital conflicts”, “attitudes toward extramarital relationship”, “parental marital conflicts”, “attitudes toward parental divorce” and “attitudes toward divorce.” The study reveals that married couples who have more conflicts with their spouses, higher attitudes toward extramarital relationship, more parental marital conflicts, and higher attitudes toward parental divorce hold more liberal attitude toward divorce. F.The correlation between Taipei married couples’ “marital quality” and “attitudes toward divorce”: There is low negatively significant correlation between the participants’ “marital quality” and “attitudes toward divorce.” The higher evaluation they respond to the marital quality, the less possibility for them to accept divorce. G. The predictive power of “marital quality” based on Taipei married couples’ “personal background factors” and “familial background factors”: There is significant correlation between participants’ “education: above graduate school”, “sexual satisfaction”, “conflicts with spouses”, “attitudes toward extramarital relationship” and “familial financial pressure” factors and marital quality. Forty one percent of the variability can be predicted. The participants who receive higher education and have more sexual satisfaction gave higher evaluation of marital quality, while the ones who have more conflicts with spouses, more liberal attitudes toward extramarital relationship and higher perception of familial financial pressure gave lower evaluation to marital quality. H.The prediction of “attitudes toward divorce” based on Taipei married couples’ “personal background factors” and “familial background factors”: There is significant correlation between participants’ “gender: female”, “marital years”, “attitudes toward extramarital relationship”, “parental marital conflicts” and “attitudes toward parental divorce” factors and “attitudes toward divorce.” Twenty four percent of the variability can be predicted. Data appear that participants who are female, more liberal extramarital relationship, more sensitive to parental conflicts, and higher perception of parental divorce tend to accept divorce. Those who have more marital years hold more conservation attitudes toward divorce. I. The explanation of “attitudes toward divorce” based on Taipei married couples’ “personal background factors”, “familial background factors” and “marital quality”: There is significant correlation between participants’ “gender: female”, “marital years”, “attitudes toward extramarital relationship”, “parental marital conflicts” and “attitudes toward parental divorce” factors and “attitudes toward divorce.” Twenty four percent of the variability can be predicted. Data appear that participants who are female, more liberal extramarital relationship, more sensitive to parental conflicts, and higher perception of parental divorce tend to accept divorce. Those who have more marital years hold more conservation attitudes toward divorce. The study demonstrates that married couples should carefully nurture the marriage and family and maintain appeal for marital relationship. Rational and honesty communication is the priority when facing the marital and familial conflicts. Besides, establish positive attitudes toward sexual relationship to support intimate connection with the spouses is also important. Moreover, couples are supposed to respect each other and reach a consensus on familial finance. They also have to learn methods to foster a complete marriage as well as family.

碩士
中國文化大學
生活應用科學系
100
Abstract This study is to investigate the current status of the married peoples’ “attitudes on divorce” and “well-being” in Taipei area and the influences on the “attitudes on divorce” and “well-being” of the married people in Taipei area who come from different “personal backgrounds”. In addition, the correlation of the married peoples’ “attitudes on divorce” and “well-being” was probed. Furthermore, the explanation of “well-being” was tested by “personal background” and “attitudes on divorce” of Taipei married people. In this study, a questionnaire survey method was used for collecting data, and proportionate stratified sampling was adopted on the samples of 700 married people living in Taipei area (Taipei City and New Taipei City), among which 581 were valid returns (83%). Research instruments included a personal background questionnaire, attitudes on divorce scale and personal well-being scale. SPSS for Windows 12.0 was used to analyze all the data collected with the approaches such as descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, Scheffe Method, Pearson’s product-moment correlation and multiple regression analysis. The major findings were as follows: A. The current status of the married peoples’ “attitude on divorce” and “well-being” 1. The married people in Taipei area tend to have more open-minded attitude toward “attitude on divorce” and appear to have more acceptance of divorcing behavior. Of all the dimensions, the “intention of divorce” shows the highest degree of acceptance; whereas, “the permanence of marriage” shows the lowest degree of acceptance. 2. The married people in Taipei area tend to have a “middle level” situation toward “well-being”. Of all the dimensions, the “optimism” shows a highest degree of well-being; whereas, the “life satisfaction” shows a lowest degree of well-being. B. The influence of “different personal backgrounds” on “attitude on divorce” 1. The female married in Taipei area with more open-minded attitude toward “attitude on divorce” than the male ones tend to accept the divorce behavior. 2. The married in Taipei area who have lower “first married age” with more open-minded attitude toward “attitude on divorce” tend to accept the divorce behavior. 3. The married in Taipei area having lower “number of children” with more open-minded attitude toward “attitude on divorce” tend to accept the divorce behavior. 4. The married in Taipei area having “graduated from graduate school and the higher” education level with more open-minded attitude toward “attitude on divorce” than those having “graduated from senior high school” education level tend to accept the divorce behavior. 5. The married in Taipei who believing in Christianity with conservative attitude toward “attitude on divorce” than others tend to not accept the divorce behavior. 6. The “economy stress” presents the married in Taipei area with a more open-minded attitude in the “marriage permanence” level of “attitude on divorce” tend to accept the divorce behavior. 7. There is “low”, negative and significant correlation between the “satisfaction in sex” and “attitude on divorce” of the married in Taipei area. 8. There is “low”, positive and significant correlation between the “personal extramarital experience” and “attitude on divorce” of the married in Taipei area. 9. There is “low”, positive and significant correlation between the “spouse’s extramarital experience” and “attitude on divorce” of the married in Taipei area. C. The influence of “different personal background” on “well-being” 1. The married in Taipei area having “graduated from graduate school and the higher” education level with higher well-being than those having “graduated from senior high school” education level. 2. The married in Taipei who believing in Christianity with higher well-being than others tend to not accept the divorce behavior. 3. There is “middle”, negative and significant correlation between the “economy stress” and “well-being” of the married in Taipei area. 4. There is “low”, positive and significant correlation between the “satisfaction in sex” and “well-being” of the married in Taipei area. 5. The married without “personal extramarital experience” has a higher well-being than those with “personal extramarital experience”. D. The correlation between “attitude on divorce” and “well-being” As a whole, there is low, negative and significant correlation between the participants’ “attitude on divorce” and “well-being”. In other words, the more the married in Taipei area tend to open-minded toward attitude on divorce, the more they accept the divorce behavior; the less the married in Taipei area feel the well-being, the more they accept the divorce behavior. E. The explanation of “well-being” by “personal background” and “attitude on divorce” 1. The married are female, higher education level, unsatisfied in sex and extramarital experience of her spouse, then they tend to open-minded toward attitude on divorce, appear to accept divorce behavior. 2. The married without “economy stress” and with “satisfaction in sex” has a higher well-being feeling. 3. The married without economy stress and with “satisfaction in sex” tend to conservative toward attitude on divorce, appear to low accept divorce behavior but high in well-being. According to the findings and conclusions in this study, it is indicated the married in Taipei area should learn to interact with the spouse well, make a constructive communication and perceive the importance of the “attitude on divorce” and “well-being” to maintain the marriage and hold the family. Second, we suggest the unmarried to develop correct marital concepts by participating premarital educational courses and counseling groups to know marriage maintenances and managements. Finally, we suggest the married life counseling organizations and the related government hold various courses and lectures about marriage in order to establish healthy marital concepts and increase the well-being to the unmarried by following the social propensity.

The purpose of this study is to explore the nature of dynamic relationships within families, and indicating how the decision to divorce may result from a family's difficulty in adjusting to new changes and stressors. Thus, divorce results in the redefinition of a nuclear system. This study made use of social constructionism as its epistemological framework. By means of in-depth one-on-one interviews, the researcher was able to hear the narratives of all six participants. Hermeneutics was used to analyze the data. The participants' stories were reencountered through the researcher's own frame of reference in which common themes of the divorce process were co-constructed. These themes were later elaborated on and a comparative analysis was undertaken to link them to the available literature. The information gained from the study could contribute to existing research on the impact of divorce, family reorganization following a divorce, and offer a new perspective in understanding family systems.
Clinical Psychology
M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

碩士
國立新竹教育大學
教育心理與諮商學系碩士班
102
The focus of this comparative study was to understand beliefs in marriage, relative power in relations, and confrontation coping strategies between couples attempting to divorce in family mediation in domestic court, and ordinary married couples. Fifty eight participants from the couples attempting to divorce in family mediation in domestic court were recruited, including 29 males and 29 females, they were asked to complete the questionnaire before they started the family mediation procedure. For the group of married couples, 28 males and 30 females who were volunteers from the Internet confirmed that they did not intend to divorce, also completed the questionnaires on paper by mail. The instruments included the Implicit Theories of Relationships Scale, the Dyadic Adjustment Scale, and the Marital Coping Inventory. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, Multivariable ANOVA, and logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the data.The main findings are as follows: First, there was no difference between the married couples and family mediation couples in terms of age and gender. However, when participants were divided into plaintiffs, counterparties and married couples, the numbers of female plaintiffs were significantly more. Second, family mediation couples versus married couples had significant differences in " beliefs in the relationship development; and "relative power in relation,” couples in the family mediation group had a bigger gap in their power distribution; and on "confrontation coping strategies”, couples in the family mediation group tended to escape into "self-interest" activities when confrontation happened. Third, when in three groups (plaintiffs, counterparties, and married couples),on " beliefs in the relationship development " married couples scored substantially higher than the other two groups;on "relative power relationship" husbands were higher in the power hierarchy in the respondents group than in the married couples group, and on"confrontation coping strategies" these groups presented essential differences in all items, including the items of "seeking social support", "conflicts", "introspective self-blame", "self-interest", and "avoidance".However, it was only in the "conflicts " items that the plaintiffs scored higher than married couples. In all of the other items, both plaintiffs and counterparties scored higher than married couples. Fourth, female respondents scored higher than the male ones on " beliefs in the relationship development " but males scored higher in the items of "seeking social support" than the female ones. Fifth, the following six variables could predict whether the couple wouldl enter family mediation procedures for divorce or not. They were "destiny beliefs" ," beliefs in the relationship development ", "relative power relationship", "positive approach”, "introspective self-blame" and "self-interest.” When the scores were higher on "destiny beliefs", "relative power relationship," "introspective self-blame", and "self-interest" and lower on "marriage development beliefs", and "positive approach", the couples were more likely to enter into the family mediation procedures for divorce in the domestic court. Research findings and implications were addressed. Key words: family mediation, marriage beliefs in married couples, relative power relationship in married couples, confrontation coping strategies in married couples.

Previous research has consistently demonstrated the “inter-generational transmission of divorce.” In comparison to the patterns seen in families with continuously married parents, young adults who experienced their parents’ divorce during childhood are more likely to consider leaving their own romantic partners, including spouses, when medium to low levels of satisfaction are felt. To contextualize under what circumstances and how young adults may be influenced by their perceptions of these family-of-origin dynamics, the present study explored young women’s narratives about their parents’ romantic relationships and another observable romantic relationship in their environment. These narratives included a general description of the romantic relationships, and queried perceptions of efforts invested by the parents in their relationship. Young women were also asked to clarify their expectations regarding how much effort is appropriate in romantic relationships. Twenty-two young women were interviewed and their narratives were analyzed using Charmaz (2006)’s grounded theory approach. Participants were active agents in the creation of meaning about their parents’ romantic relationship and their parents’ divorce. Their narratives were complex, sometimes paradoxical, and suggested participants understood some of the dynamics in their parents’ romantic relationships. The themes, which emerged from the perceptions of their parents’ romantic relationships, their parents’ mistakes and what they felt they have learned from witnessing their parents’ romantic relationships, provided several avenues of interest for future research and clinical practice.
Graduate
0621
0620
0451

L’objectif principal de cette thèse de doctorat est de déterminer, à l’aide d’une grille d’observation des comportements parentaux après la séparation , si des catégories de la grille permettent de distinguer entre eux les couples parentaux où le risque de Détérioration du Lien Parent-Enfant en contexte de séparation conflictuelle (DLPE) est très élevé des couples parentaux où le risque de DLPE est très faible. De plus, trois objectifs secondaires s’ajoutent à notre objectif principal. Premièrement, nous avons tenté de voir s’il était possible de prédire les cas où les risques de DLPE sont très élevés. Deuxièmement, nous avons exploré comment la DLPE s’inscrit dans les conséquences pouvant découler de la séparation parentale. Et enfin, troisièmement, nous avons brièvement exploré la question des allégations d’agression sexuelle envers l’enfant dans les contextes de DLPE. Cette thèse est composée de deux articles et d’une note de recherche brève. Le premier article s’intitule En quoi et pourquoi les hommes et les femmes sont-ils affectés différemment par la séparation conjugale? Cet article est une recension critique de la littérature traitant des conséquences du divorce chez les adultes ainsi que des conséquences différentielles du divorce pour les hommes et les femmes. Dans cet article, des hypothèses explicatives quant à l’origine de ces diverses conséquences sont discutées et nous proposons de les conceptualiser sous la forme d’un éventail rendant compte des impacts tant positifs que négatifs, notamment à une extrémité du continuum où se retrouvent les dynamiques DLPE. Ce continuum sur lequel s’inscrit la DLPE permet de conceptualiser et de discuter de l’adaptation ou de la mésadaptation des individus face à la séparation. Dans cet article, notre regard sur la DLPE fait ressortir les lacunes de la recherche actuelle sur ce phénomène. Il ressort un manque flagrant de connaissances du contexte d’apparition du phénomène, de connaissances empiriques sur la question des allégations d’abus sexuel se produisant dans le cadre de telles dynamiques ainsi que de connaissances des caractéristiques et des comportements des individus qui y sont impliqués. Conséquemment, notre article met l’emphase sur la nécessité qu’une tradition de recherche se développe dans le domaine de la DLPE afin de clarifier tous ces aspects. Enfin, cet article met en lumière différents facteurs de risque et différents facteurs de protection susceptibles d’expliquer que le divorce ait des conséquences différentes chez les hommes et les femmes. Le deuxième article s’intitule Étude exploratoire des caractéristiques et des comportements de couples parentaux séparés engagés dans une dynamique de Détérioration du Lien Parent-Enfant. Cet article cherchait à déterminer si les couples parentaux séparés hautement à risque d’être engagés dans une dynamique de DLPE se distinguent des couples parentaux séparés dont le risque de DLPE est faible sur certaines variables. Nous avons étudié cette question auprès de notre échantillon de 82 couples parentaux séparés pour lesquels le risque de DLPE est évalué comme étant soit très faible (groupe de comparaison) ou soit très élevé (en tenant compte du fait que la mère ou le père soit le parent dénigrant). À cette fin, nous avons utilisé un instrument de mesure, la Grille d’observation de la Détérioration du Lien Parent-Enfant après la séparation (GODLPE), adapté de celui développé par Johnston, Walters, & Olesen, (2005). Les résultats obtenus à l’aide de tests d’analyse de variance et de khi-deux démontrent que les ex-couples du groupe de comparaison se distinguent des ex-couples du groupe où le risque de DLPE est très élevé par un mariage significativement plus long et un niveau de conflit plus élevé. Également, les résultats démontrent que les parents du groupe de comparaison, les parents dénigrés et les parents dénigrants se distinguent entre eux quant à leurs comportements coparentaux aliénants, à leur relation coparentale supportante, à leur relation coparentale méfiante et à leurs comportements de renversement de rôle. Finalement, notre étude révèle que la durée du mariage et l’intensité des conflits permettent de prédire le risque de DLPE. La note de recherche brève s’intitule Étude exploratoire des allégations d’agression sexuelle envers l’enfant dans un contexte de Détérioration du Lien Parent-Enfant. Cet note de recherche s’intéresse à ce qui a longtemps été considéré comme l’une des caractéristiques déterminantes des dynamiques de DLPE, soit les allégations d’agression sexuelle envers l’enfant professées par un parent à l’endroit de l’autre parent ou d’un membre de son entourage proche. Nous avons étudié cette question chez 82 couples parentaux séparés pour lesquels le risque de DLPE était évalué comme étant très faible ou très élevé. Les résultats indiquent qu’il n’existe aucune différence significative entre les groupes relativement à cette caractéristique. Cependant, les mères auraient davantage tendance à alléguer de tels abus que les pères. Enfin, aucune des allégations professées n’a été jugée suffisamment crédible pour que la Directeur de la protection de la Jeunesse (DPJ) juge nécessaire d’intervenir. Plusieurs hypothèses sont soulevées pour expliquer ces résultats.
The main goal of the present doctoral thesis was to determine whether certain items of an observation grid assessing parental behaviors following separation allow to distinguish parents whose risk of Deterioration of the Parent-Child Relationship (DPCR) is very high from those whose risk of DPCR is very low. This goal led to secondary objectives regarding the prediction of such dynamics, the issue of sexual abuse allegation toward the child in such situations, and the context in which this phenomenon appears in the context of parental separation. This thesis includes two articles and a brief note of research. The first article is entitled: How and Why Are Men and Women Affected Differently by Marital Separation? This article is a critical literature review regarding the consequences of divorce for adults as well as its differential impact on men and women. Explanatory hypotheses regarding the origin of these diverse impacts are discussed. Furthermore, this article offers a conceptualization of such impacts as a continuum, which takes into account the positive and as well as the negative consequences of divorce, such as the dynamics of DPCR following separation. Different risk factors and protective factors are also suggested. The second article is entitled: Exploratory Study of the Characteristics and Behaviors of Separated Couples Engaged in a Dynamic of Deterioration of the Parent-Child Relationship. This article discusses whether it is possible to distinguish, on certain variables, separated couples who are at high risk of being engaged in a dynamic of DPCR from those who are at low risk. This issue was studied among 82 separated couples for which the risk of DPCR was assessed as being very low or very high (in the latter case was distinguished the group where the mother was the denigrating parent from the group where the father was the denigrating parent). An instrument called the Deterioration of the Parent-Child Relationship Observation Grid (DPCROG), adapted from an instrument developed by Johnson, Walters, & Olesen, 2005, was used in the present study. Analyses of variance and chi-squared analyses were carried out and revealed that ex-couples in the group at high risk for DPCR distinguished themselves from ex-couples in the comparison group by a significantly longer marriage and a higher level of conflict. In addition, results of 2 X 2 repeated measures analyses of variance, as well as results of Tukey’s post-hoc tests, revealed that parents in the comparison group, denigrated parents, and denigrating parents differed from one another in terms of their alienating coparenting behaviors, their supportive coparenting relationship, their mistrustful coparenting relationship and their role reversal behaviors. Finally, results of Tukey’s post-hoc analyses and chi-squared analyses indicated that the length of marriage and the intensity of conflict allow to predict the risk of DPCR. The brief note of research is entitled: Exploratory Study of Child Sexual Abuse Allegations in the context of a Deterioration of the Parent-Child Relationship. This note of research is concerned with what has long been considered as one of the characteristics of the dynamics of DPCR: the allegation of child sexual abuse declared by a parent against the other parent or against people close to the other parent. This issue was studied among 82 separated couples for which the risk of DPCR was assessed as being very high or very low. The results indicated that there were no significant differences between groups in regards to these allegations. Furthermore, mothers seemed to have a greater tendency to allege such abuse in comparison to fathers. Finally, whereas none of these allegations were judged as sufficiently credible in order for the Direction de la Protection de la Jeunesse (DPJ) to intervene, several hypotheses were raised to explain this finding.

Statistics for sexually abused children are high. When children do not receive therapy, they may develop marital problems later in life. Survivors of sexual abused have difficulty letting other people come close to them. Because emotional and sexual intimacy is important components of a marital relationship, survivors of sexual abused experience conflict within their marriages. Intimacy in the marital relationship reminds them of the abuse situation and they would try to escape from it. If couples do not go through therapeutic intervention, they would have difficulty understanding the changes in their relationship after the marriage. Within a therapeutic environment partners are able to recognise the effects of abuse and are able to learn how to handle it in order to achieve a successful marriage. The changes in intimacy levels after marriage will be investigated in this study. The study will make recommendations towards professional principles for social workers in practice.
Social Work
M. A. (Social Sciences)