Identifier

etd-11102014-095548

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Social Work

Document Type

Dissertation

Abstract

The topics of marriage and divorce have been studied extensively, especially in recent decades; however, the topic of marital reconciliation has been scarcely researched. Seven couples (N = 14) participated in a qualitative investigation of marital reconciliation. Each couple had filed a petition for divorce in the state of Louisiana between the years 2000-2010. Before the required 12 month period of living apart were complete, each couple decided to discontinue the divorce proceedings and reconcile their marriages, and have lived together continuously for a period of more than three years. A purposive, convenience sample was solicited due to the specific participation criteria of the study. Each husband and wife individually completed a semi-structured, open-ended interview, then an additional interview was conducted with the couple together. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using grounded theory techniques. Three primary themes emerged from the analysis as factors in the decision making process to reconcile: (a) Support systems, (b) Outlook and attitude regarding marriage and divorce, and (c) The importance of hard work in marriage. Both scholarly and clinical implications are discussed, as well as suggestions for future research.

Date

2014

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Secure the entire work for patent and/or proprietary purposes for a period of one year. Student has submitted appropriate documentation which states: During this period the copyright owner also agrees not to exercise her/his ownership rights, including public use in works, without prior authorization from LSU. At the end of the one year period, either we or LSU may request an automatic extension for one additional year. At the end of the one year secure period (or its extension, if such is requested), the work will be released for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Marks, Loren

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.2638

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