Adults’ perceived post-traumatic growth (PTG) following parental separation

Abstract

This study explored the post-traumatic growth (PTG) perceived by adults whose parents separated or divorced. Parental separation is widely known as a disruptive life event that is likely to have lasting negative impacts on children and has been linked to a range of negative outcomes (Amato & Anthony, 2014; Wallerstein et al., 2013). This study conducted semi structured interviews with five participants from the University of Malta, three of which identified as female and two of which identified as male, with ages ranging from 18 to 30 years old. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (Pietkiewicz & Smith, 2014) was used throughout the study and the themes that emerged from the interviews were: hardships of parental separation, personal growth following parental separation, change in relationships following parental separation, and change in religious views. The hardships of parental separation were affected by the participants age, and included shift in living situation and struggling with shame. Personal growth was seen through strength and resilience, and also through the lessons learnt from their parents’ separation. The parental separation was followed by changes in familial relationships, romantic relationships and friendships, as well as a change in religious views for some participants. There are few other studies that focused on this topic therefore, this study is beneficial for people looking to understand further PTG, specifically following parental separation, and also to people who are going through the hardships of parental separation to show them that growth and positive personality change is possible.