Change, disengagement, and renewal: Relationship dynamics between young adults and their fathers after divorce

Little is known about children's perceptions of their parents' divorce or h ow children construct meaning around the divorce and their subsequent relat ionships with their parents. The focus of this study was to learn about the experiences and the meanings young adults had constructed about the divorc e process and their relationships with their fathers in the years after the divorce. The findings revealed a broad spectrum of experiences and several key issues that gave meaning to both the disengagement and the reengagemen t with their fathers. Loss, trust, acceptance, availability, and support ar e a few of the the vital issues addressed. Implications for family therapis ts are discussed.