Qualitative Study on the Process of Separation between a Child Who Had Visits After Adolescence and a Non-custodial Parent

Abstract

　　There are an increasing number of studies focusing on interviewing children who had visits from a non-custodial parent to ascertain what types of visits they would have wanted after a divorce. However, few studies in Japan have focused on how children interacted with a non-custodial parent and how children felt when visits were discontinued.

　　The aim of this study was to ascertain the separation process between a child who had visits after adolescence and a non-custodial parent.

　　Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 adults (ages 19-36) whose parents divorced when they were age 18 or younger. They all had visits at least once after age 11, but those visits were discontinued. Interview data were analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach.

　　An analysis of the interview data revealed that the separation process involved visits resulting in the child feeling distant from both parents. The following three factors were associated with the child feeling distant from both parents. The child 1) was embroiled in parental disputes because of visits, 2) felt distant from the custodial parent because of the parent's unusual response before and after a visit, and 3) felt distant from the non-custodial parent because the child did not receive the expected response from the non-custodial parent.

　　The more a child had visits but no setting in which to share his or her feelings, the more a child felt discouraged and tired. With this background, visits were discontinued because 1) the child ran out of patience with the behavior of the non-custodial parent, 2) the non-custodial parent abruptly severed his or her relationship with the child and 3) the child felt less of a relationship with the non-custodial parent because of remarriage or similar reasons.

　　The discontinuation of visits caused some children to have negative feelings towards the noncustodial parent. However, some children sorted out their feelings by 1) talking about the divorce at home or with friends with whom they could share their difficulties and/or 2) encountering new values.