The impact of parental relationship breakdown on the lived experience of adult partners’ romantic relationships

Abstract

Divorce and marital separation are phenomena that impact the children involved, who as adults will transition into their own romantic relationships. The aim of this research was to qualitatively explore the impact of one partner’s parental relationship breakdown on the lived experiences of romantic partners in a heterosexual couple relationship. The interaction of the partners’ families-of-origin and the bearing this has on the couple dynamics was explored using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Four semi-structured interviews were conducted with couples in whom one of the partners had experienced the parents’ marital breakdown earlier on. The sample consisted of four heterosexual couples between the ages of 20 and 24 who had been together for four to five years. The themes elicited included, ‘Structural and functional differences between families-of-origin,’ ‘Parental separation and romantic selves,’ and ‘How are we going to be together despite our past and differences?’ The findings showed that parental divorce has unique impacts on each couple relationship. Differences in partner’s family-of-origin presented challenge at times, nonetheless, positive qualities and their ability to learning from their parents’ relationships helped in sustaining their relationships. The implications for research and practice are discussed.