Understanding the Experiences of Parents Who Have a Strained Relationship With Their Child in the Context of Divorce or Separation

Abstract

Recently being recognized as parent–child contact problems (PCCPs), children resisting contact with a parent is a growing problem in the family justice system. Many family therapists and other professionals are asked to work with PCCPs but are underprepared due to limited knowledge of the complex legal and relational factors. To explore the needs of this population, a qualitative study was conducted interviewing 15 parents who self-identified as having strained parent–child relationships after a divorce. The phenomenological analysis revealed eight themes from the interviews. Participant responses were categorized into two descriptive clusters. (1) active/current strained relationships with themes of: feelings of powerlessness, limitations of professional help, “in” parents creating barriers, and “outsiders” do not understand and (2) past/resolved strained relationships with themes of: professionals were helpful, coparents became more aligned, time improves relationships, and children do not understand. Implications for working with these strained relationships and recommendations for future research are discussed.