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Abstract
The sole purpose of this study was to assess the impact of divorce on teenagers' social behaviour at Hamangilasi village, Limpopo Province in South Africa which has a high rate of divorce cases. The study used an exploratory design and a sample of children from divorced parents was selected through the convenience sampling technique. Data were generated through the interview technique and analysed qualitatively. The findings show that teenagers from divorced families develop social, psychological and educational challenges. They develop antisocial behaviours such as substance abuse, prostitution, have a low self-esteem, poorly perform in their studies and have a negative attitude towards marriage. The study recommends that counselling should be provided to the teenagers from divorced families to build their confidence and make them cope with their circumstances. Furthermore, it is recommended that the state should offer financial support to the children from divorced families in order to improve their suffering.
Key words: Teenagers, divorce, impact, social behaviour
Introduction and Background of the Study
Divorce rates in many Western European countries have increased significantly over the last decades. In the UK, the yearly number of divorce cases increased from around 25 000 in 1960 to almost 150 000 in the early 1980s (Martinez and Claudia 2007). Turner(2005) indicates that approximately 50% of all marriages in America end in divorce consequently, 23% of families in America are single parent families with children under the age of 18. Children from divorced families are more likely to have academic, behavioural, and psychological problems than children from non-divorced families. With the rise in divorce cases a body of literature emerged in the1980s and 1990s which studied the effects of separation/divorce on couples, families and the children (Jackson, 1990; McCarthy & Simpson, 1991; Murphy, 1990; Schouw & Dieleman, 1987; Sullivan, 1986; Symon, 1990; Van Noortwijk et al., 1992; Was off & Dobash, 1990; Watchman, 1990). These studies show that divorce has a disruptive effect on the social behaviour of teenagers.
The transitional period following divorce is usually filled with dramatic changes in daily lives of the people affected with subsequent complexities where family members may experience extreme emotional upheaval as a result of being thrown at the deep end as they try to adjust to life after divorce...