Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Human Services

Advisor

Greg P. Hickman

Abstract

Divorce over the age of 50 years is called gray divorce and has been steadily on the rise. Past studies have shown the impact divorce can have on children regarding attitudes toward marriage and divorce, but research has not investigated the attitudes of adult children whose parents divorce late in life. An intrinsic, single case study was done using eight participants who were adult children of gray divorce. Semi-structured interviews were completed, guided by the principles of social learning theory. Data were analyzed into codes, categories, and then into seven overarching themes using categorical aggregation. Six themes regarding the attitudes toward marriage and divorce are discussed along with one additional theme that was discovered. Themes include a desire to marry, attitudes of marriage and divorce were impacted by their parents’ experiences, that divorce is not ideal but is sometimes best, a determination to make their marriages work and not repeat their parents’ mistakes, and gladness that their parents divorced. The participants were impacted in terms of feeling a sense of marital impermanence, a determination to succeed in their relationships, and an understanding and acceptance of divorce in unhealthy and unhappy circumstances. Learning the impact that late-life divorce has on adult children of divorce can assist therapists, educators, human service professionals, social programs, as well as parents and children affected by gray divorce.

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