Succesvol scheiden doe je samen. De samenhang tussen ouderlijk respect en coöperatie na scheiding en het thuisgevoel en welzijn van adolescenten

Abstract

Every year, a significant number of children deals with the divorce of their parents and this is associated to a range of possible adjustment problems, such as a lower well-being. According to the divorce-stress-adjustment perspective, coparenting skills may explain this association. The aim of this research is thus to gain insight into the role of the coparenting skills parental respect/cooperation in adolescent well-being after divorce. This research also examined whether this association is mediated by family belonging to both parental houses. This research used longitudinal data from two measuring rounds from the ‘Where do I belong’ research project. In total, 188 adolescents with divorced parents filled in an online questionnaire. The sample consisted of 73 males and 115 females between 11 and 19 years old (M = 14.36). Our research question was: ‘Is the quality of parental respect/cooperation after divorce related to the well-being of adolescents?’. The results showed that indeed, children who reported more respect and cooperation between parents had a significantly higher level of well-being. Further, this association was fully mediated by family belonging to both parental houses. Based on the current research, it can be concluded that a high degree of parental respect/cooperation is a protective factor for adolescent well-being after divorce. A recommendation for further research is to focus more on protective factors instead of negative factors after divorce, as has been done in the current research through coparenting.