The Effects of Marital Dissolution on Early Adolescents’ Psychosocial Well-being in Tanzania

Abstract

Marriage dissolution been a problem of global concern. In Tanzania, marriage-related separations have been reported to exceed legal divorce rate, and the majority of early adolescents in these broken families often become victims. This study explored the potential effects of marital dissolution on early adolescents’ psychosocial well-being. This qualitative study employed the instrumental case study design, and involved 12 early adolescents, 12 parents, and 6 caregivers. The findings show that early adolescents from broken families are mainly affected in their psychosocial well-being. These effects appear to be short or long term. A strong sense of experiencing negative effects from parental marital dissolutions was communicated by adolescents compared with those who reported experiencing positive effects. It is concluded that the scope of understanding the effects of marital dissolution on children is very broad and entails various characteristics, this is because of the fact that, the effects on children are mainly negative and they cut across children’s whole life, especially in their psychosocial well-being. These effects are not discrete but interrelated and cyclic. There is a need therefore to preserve and promote the welfare of marriages to allow each child live and thrive with the two parents under one roof.

Keywords: early adolescents, effects of marital dissolution, custodial parent, adolescents’ psychosocial well-being