Date of Conferral
2020
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Human Services
Advisor
Dr. Barbara Benoliel
Abstract
While a plethora of studies have examined the effects of divorce on children, fewer have looked at young adults who have experienced parental divorce after they were 18 years of age, and even fewer have examined the experiences of Black American adult children. Using concepts from Social Identity Theory, the goal of this study was to understand the experiences of Black adult children whose parents have divorced and the phenomenon of their self-perception based on family identity. This was a phenomenological study conducted through guided face-to-face interviews and utilizing Photovoice with four Black adult children of divorce, whose parents divorced after they were 18 years old. The data collected from narrative interviews and photographs through this study were analyzed using narrative and visual content analysis. Findings were that adult children who are emerging as adults with their identity struggle to reidentify themselves, their familial relations not only with their divorced parents, but even more so with their siblings; where relationships are also impacted. This study contributes to social change by identifying the needs of this population at an important time in their lives. Therapists, universities, and communities may use this study to better support Black adult children of divorce of American descent.
Recommended Citation
Williams, Aurielle C., "Black American Adult Children of Divorce" (2020). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 7847.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/7847
