The Lived Experience of Ambiguous Marital Separation: A Phenomenological Study

Crabtree, Sarah A.; Harris, Steven M.

doi:10.1111/jmft.12419

Cited by 11 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Parents who have not yet finalized their divorces reported more coparenting conflicts overall, and with regard to financial issues specifically. This group was “in limbo” and may have experienced greater uncertainty and stress as they tried to navigate potential changes in financial support without established norms to guide their behavior amid their newly reconstituted family system (Allen & Goldberg, 2020; Crabtree & Harris, 2020; Emery & Dillon, 1994).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…First, the findings point to the discomfort and burden of being “stuck” in divorce proceedings, or unable to initiate them, amid circumstances that are beyond one's control. In particular, the findings point to how although continuing to live together was for some a solution to the financial and legal uncertainty they faced, this strategy came with trade‐offs (Crabtree & Harris, 2020).…”

Section: Implications and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Divorced and separated parents during the COVID‐19 pandemic

2021

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The COVID‐19 pandemic has caused significant stress for individuals, couples, and families. Divorced and separated couples with children face unique stresses amid the pandemic. This mixed‐methods study explored these challenges among 296 divorced and separated parents: namely 204 women formerly partnered with men, 34 men formerly partnered with women, and 58 women formerly partnered with women, who were surveyed during Summer/Fall of 2020. Participants described legal, financial, and coparenting challenges. Those who were not yet divorced described difficulties filing for or finalizing their divorce because of court closures and lack of responsiveness from legal professionals. Those who were already divorced also faced legal challenges, such as being unable to obtain a court date to modify custody arrangements. Financial challenges included renegotiating financial support obligations in the context of job loss. Salient coparenting conflicts, explored through closed‐ and open‐ended questions, included communication issues, different views on virus risk mitigation behaviors, financial issues (especially for those not yet divorced), and transitioning between households and handling remote schooling (especially for those with shared physical custody). Participants elaborated on COVID‐19‐specific challenges, revealing that (a) lack of communication or agreement regarding shared strategies for risk mitigation reflected and exacerbated challenging dynamics between coparents, (b) remote schooling was often the site of disagreement when one parent felt that they were doing more than their fair share of coordination and oversight, and (c) different perspectives on science were expected to lead to future contention when making a joint decision about whether to vaccinate children. Findings have implications for family and legal professionals working with divorced, divorcing, and separated parents.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Implications and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Divorced and separated parents during the COVID‐19 pandemic

2021

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“…For example, separation may not inevitably or linearly lead to divorce and often takes a more complex path (Crabtree & Harris, 2019). This simplifies a complex process and perpetuates the idea of divorce largely being treated as a single event with a linear trajectory and a clean ending rather than a multiple-transition evolution (Amato, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Day‐to‐day changes and longer‐term adjustments to divorce ideation: Marital commitment uncertainty processes over time

et al. 2021

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ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to use in‐depth, qualitative interviews and longitudinal analysis to explore fluctuations in divorce ideation over time with 30 participants who had thoughts about divorce in the previous 6 months.BackgroundScholarship on marital ambivalence and divorce ideation suggests the importance of better understanding the dialectical tensions involved in navigating the many areas of life affected by marital commitment uncertainty. To model complex relational processes of change over time, researchers need to move beyond contextualized snapshots of relationship outcomes to a more continuous mapping of relationship processes, including changes in emotions, beliefs, and behaviors regarding the future of their marital relationship.MethodsWe completed in‐depth interviews with participants who had recently been thinking about divorce at two times approximately 8 to 10 months apart. Our team used qualitative thematic analysis to elucidate emergent themes and processes.ResultsWe found complex and dynamic patterns of leaning‐in, leaning‐out, and holding‐on emotions, attitudes, and behaviors that suggest theoretical models that may better capture the dynamic process of how commitment uncertainty influences the ways in which married partners think about the future of their marriage.ConclusionThis research can help improve how we theoretically model commitment uncertainty processes embedded in divorce ideation within the complex processes of day‐to‐day and longer term relational changes over time.ImplicationsFamily practitioners and the couples they serve can benefit from expanded conceptualizations of marital commitment outcomes that also include the processes of marital commitment as a way to normalize the ebbs and flows of relationships.

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“…Still, in general, divorce ideation is associated with both poorer marital quality and marital dissolution (Amato & Booth, 1997). Furthermore, divorce ideation itself is likely a stressful experience, especially if it leads to separation (see Crabtree & Harris, 2019). Thus, even if divorce ideation does not guarantee that a marriage will end, it is important to understand the circumstances under which married individuals think about or consider divorce, given its association with negative outcomes.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Divorce Ideation and “Deal Breakers” among Married Gay Men and Lesbians: A Qualitative Exploration

Hoy

Diiriye

Gunderson

2021

Journal of Family Issues

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Regardless of whether married individuals are actively pursuing divorce, at all stages of marriage, individuals can experience thoughts of divorce, which are often termed “divorce ideation” in the literature. However, with same-sex marriage only being legalized in 2015, the literature has yet to explore divorce ideation among individuals married to a same-sex partner. In this article, we used semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 28 married gay men and lesbians to explore how and under what circumstances gay men and lesbians think about divorce. We find that although a slight majority of participants had never considered divorce, many had, especially during periods of marital conflict. In addition, nearly all participants indicated that they would be willing to consider divorce under certain circumstances such as infidelity, the loss of trust and/or intimacy, and unhappiness with the relationship. We conclude by discussing the limitations of our research and directions for future research.

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The Lived Experience of Ambiguous Marital Separation: A Phenomenological Study

Cited by 11 publications

References 32 publications

Divorced and separated parents during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Divorced and separated parents during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Day‐to‐day changes and longer‐term adjustments to divorce ideation: Marital commitment uncertainty processes over time

Divorce Ideation and “Deal Breakers” among Married Gay Men and Lesbians: A Qualitative Exploration

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