Mια οικοσυστημική προσέγγιση των παραγόντων κινδύνου και ανθεκτικότητας στα παιδιά από διαζευγμένες οικογένειες

Abstract

The paper attempts to approach the risk and resilience factors of children from divorced families based on the ecosystemic theory of Urie Bronfenbrenner. In particular, it presents some findings, based on a review of the relevant literature, concerning the effects of some of the major factors of divorce processes on children’s emotional well-being. The factors refer to child's ontogenetic characteristics (e.g. gender, age, ability to deal with stressful situations), basic structural and functional processes of the divorced family microsystem (e.g. parental conflicts before divorce, parent-child relationship and parental stress), relationships included in the mesosystem (e.g., communication with the other parent and quality of relationship between divorced parents), components of the exosystem (e.g. social support networks, and parent’s satisfaction of life) and last but not least, macrosystemic perceptions and beliefs about new forms of family organization (e.g. absence of one parent, legal context). To conclude, the paper emphasizes the benefits of using holistic approaches in the study of divorce-related issues and makes suggestions for further research in the field.