The Role of Social Network Supports of Italian Parents and Children in their Adjustment to Separation and Divorce

The author examines the role of social network supports in the adjustment to separation and divorce of Montreal Italian parents and children, and compared with separated and divorced French Canadian parents. The latter sample consisted of thirty-one custodial parents who had been separated or divorced for a period of at least six months and no more than five years, while the sample of custodial parents of Italian origin consisted of twenty-three participants who had also been separated or divorced for a similar period of time. The sample of students was comprised of nineteen children of Italian origin and twenty-nine Francophone children. Separation was viewed as a process with three distinct stages: pre-separation, separation, and post-separation. The author found that the average size of the social networks for Italian respondents was larger than that of their Francophone counterparts at each stage of the separation process. The Italian sample also had a substantially denser social network in the pre-separation stage while no difference was found between the two samples during separation and in the period that followed. Although both groups depended greatly on family members for support, the Italian sample reported a greater number of friends in their network than did the Francophone group. Those of Italian origin also received more support during and following separation than members of the Francophone sample. The Francophone group expressed a strong reservation and disappointment in the quality and meaningfulness of the supports received in the pre-separation stage. In general, it was found that, although custodial parents of Italian origin did experience the process of separation and divorce somewhat differently than those from the Francophone background, this difference was not as great or significant as was anticipated. Factors related to ethnicity and culture did play an important role in the pre-separation stage but diminished in influence in the latter stages. The two groups tended to resemble each other more as they progressed from the point of separation. This was most evident with regards to network density, greater reliance on friends and oneself for support, approval for separation, and need for outside resources.

PhD dissertation

Université de Montréal

Montréal

1991

en