INFORMATION AVOIDANCE AMONG ADOLESCENT CHILDREN OF DIVORCE IN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT PARENTS' DECISION TO DIVORCE
CHUAH XING JUN
CHUAH XING JUN
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Abstract
Parental communication about their decision to divorce represents a significant part of the divorce process. Notably, in the case of adolescent children of divorce (ACOD), the conversations concerning their parents’ relationship and divorce come instrumental in facilitating their adjustment to divorce. However, in light of emerging evidence of the tendencies among ACOD to avoid conversations about their parents’ relationship, such findings demonstrate the importance of better understanding their avoidance tendencies. Through the application of the Theory of Motivated Information Management (TMIM), this study sought to gain insights into ACOD’s avoidance decisions in conversations about their parents’ decision to divorce. This qualitative exploratory study focused on participants’ retrospective accounts in conversations about their parents’ decision to divorce during the period of adolescence. Employing a semi-structured interview guide approach with six participants, this study examined participants’ reasons for avoidance, forms of avoidance behaviours and perceptions of avoidance. The results generally support the utility of TMIM in this context and existing quantitative findings. This study identified avoidance as a prevalent phenomenon among the participants. The participants engaged in various forms of avoidance, comprising of both direct and indirect avoidance behaviours. Additionally, the extent of their avoidance varied from transitional to permanent avoidance. The participants cited a range of reasons for their avoidance and these reasons correspond to their expectations of negative outcomes as well as low efficacy judgments. Besides that, the results captured participants’ unique sets of beliefs and ascribed meanings of their transitional and permanent avoidance stances. Further analysis led to the discovery of participants’ perceived implications of their respective avoidance stances. Combined, these findings offer preliminary insights into the complex nature of avoidance among ACOD. The discussion conjectures about these themes and highlights the theoretical implications of the results for TMIM, along with practical recommendations for social work practice in an effort to strengthen support for ACOD. Finally, limitations and directions for future research are presented.
Keywords
adolescents, avoidance, divorce, family communication
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Date
2019
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