"ich und meine Familie" - Reflexionen von Scheidungskindernü ber ihre Familie

Abstract

For children, the divorce of their parents constitutes a critical life event exposing them to various stressful situations and requires them to reorganize and restructure their concept of the family. This study aims at gathering information on the children's perspective on the reorganized relationships within the family. In the context of the study "I am who I am - Health promotion through reinforcement of self-esteem", children from elementary schools have been asked to draw pictures of their families. The depictions made by children of divorced parents differ significantly from those made by children who did not experience their parents' divorce. A closer inspection of the group consisting of children of divorced parents shows that boys have greater difficulties than girls to adapt to the new family situation. The depictions made by children of divorced parents are heterogeneous, there is no proof of a typical after-divorce situation.