The relationship between parents and their adolescent children with special reference to consensual and contentious separations

Abstract

This paper explores the relationship between Maltese adolescents and their parents, with a particular focus on families where the parents are separated. In all, 25 families coming from non-distressed, distressed, and separated families were interviewed, including 24 fathers, 24 mothers, and 30 children aged 11, 13, and 15. Each participant was interviewed separately. The methodology adopted was based on framework analyses. A number of findings had direct implications for the court system and the judicial process, highlighting the need for interdisciplinary professional support to the judiciary. Important findings included the lengthy duration of the proceedings in court and its implications for children, the need for children to be heard by trained professionals who give them adequate time and a fair say in the court process, and the need for parents to receive parental education prior to their separation and divorce as a way of helping them protect their children at a time when they are particularly distressed. Another important finding was the need to consider marital breakdown over time, through alternative dispute resolution and mediation, as this was seen to be more appropriate for addressing children’s needs.