The lived experience of couples in remarried relationships following divorce, in Malta

Abstract

This study examines the lived experience of couples in remarried relationships following divorce, in Malta. To achieve this objective, an interpretative phenomenological approach (IPA) was used. One-time in-depth interviews were conducted with seven couples who were recruited through a snow-balling method. Emergent themes included feelings and thoughts about the first marriage breakdown, the process and the significance of divorce, and the rich and complex relationships developing in the reconstituted families. The impact of the wider social context on the lived experience of these couples also featured strongly in this study. Implications for clinical practice, proposals for policy making and recommendations for future research are also outlined.