A qualitative research on the divorce reasons and decisions of divorced parents

The purpose of this study is to examine the reasons for divorce and the decision-making processes of divorced parents. For this purpose, qualitative research design has been used. The sample group of the study consisted of 11 female and 9 male participants who were at least 1 year and at most 5 years after the divorce. The Semi-Structured Interview Form and Personal Information Form developed by the researcher were used to reach the demographic characteristics of the participants and to be used in the interviews in the research. In the research, 7 themes and 25 sub-themes related to the reasons for divorce and decision-making processes of the participants were reached. These themes are (1) Problems related to expectations, (2) Problems with conflicts, (3) Problems with other relationships, (4) Family approach, (5) Observations about child's reactions, (6) Facilitating factors, (7) Complicating factors. The findings of the research are presented within the sub-themes of each theme. In the results of the research, it was observed that the problems experienced by the divorced parents in their marital relations in emotional, sexual, economic and relational dimensions were effective in the decision-making of the divorce of individuals. It has been found that decision to divorce is a cognitive and emotional challenging process for individuals and this process includes cultural and relational components.