Document Type : Research Article
Authors
1 Professor, Department of Counseling, School of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz,Ahvaz, Iran
2 Counseling PhD Candidate, Counseling Department, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Shahid Chamran University, Ahvaz, Iran
3 Assistant Professor, Department of Human Sciences, Oklahoma Christian University, Edmond, Oklahoma
4 Professor, Department of Counseling, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran
Abstract
The Role of Others in the Decision to Leave or Stay in the Marital Relationship After Filing for Divorce
Introduction
Divorce is a multifaceted phenomenon, and many factors play a role in the decision-making process regarding leaving or staying in the marital life. Despite the complexities of the decision to divorce and the impact of various variables on this decision, a clear picture regarding the impact of factors such as the social dimension and the role of others on this decision has not been provided. Therefore, the present study sought to investigate how others influence the decision to divorce or stay in the marital relationship after filing for divorce.
Method
The inductive qualitative content analysis was used to conduct the present study. Potential participants were individuals who had experience in filing divorce petitions in court and either proceeded with the divorce or withdrew their petitions. Twenty-one participants (11 Divorced and 10 withdrawn) participated in the present study using the convenience sampling method. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The data was analyzed using inductive content analysis; the general meaning of the data was understood by reading the text several times. Then, open coding was used to record the dimensions of the content under study accurately. Then, comparing similarities and differences, similar codes were categorized under a broader heading. When the coding process categories were reorganized, each interview was reanalyzed using the extracted codes (Crabtree et al., 2018).
Results
The data analysis using the inductive qualitative content analysis showed that the effect of others on the decision to divorce or stay included the ten categories of agreement/disagreement, support/non-support, modeling and social contagion, self-sacrifice, social image and leaking/non-leaking problem, avoiding being called a divorcee, alternative relationships, attachment to spouse’s family, interference, and mediation.
Conclusion
Supporting the reports of past studies regarding the effect of the social dimension on the decision to divorce, the current research study tried to present a clear picture of the various dimensions of this effect. The findings showed that others could directly (e.g., support and agreement) and indirectly (e.g., social contagion and social leakage of the problem) affect an individual’s decision to leave or stay in a marital relationship (i.e., the final decision regarding the future of the marital life).
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