Post-divorce Level of depression, Living armngement and coping mechanisms of teenagers: the case of Yeka First Instance Court Child Justice Project Office, Children's Legal P.-otection, Addis Ababa
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Date
2016-10
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The study was conducted in the capital city. A.A. with the aim of assessing the level of postdivorce
depression level. living arrangemellt alld the coping mechanisms that are used by the
teenagers. SLrly adolescents was selected by purposive sampling aged Ji'om 13-17 years were
participated to collect data using Beck Depression inventOl)I, which is structured questionnaire,
was used as a tool to Ineasure the level of depress ian in teenagers for quantitative approach. On
the other hand in-depth interview was used to elaborate the questions in more clear way for
qualitative part. SPSS version 21 was used to allalyze participant socia demographic profile as
well as association and relation between the depelldent and independent variable. Out of which
II male (18. 3%) and 49(81.7%) female. Twenty three (38%) adolescent were found to have
normal and the rest were in the other categories (mild, moderate, borderline, severe and
extreme) of depression level. In this study, 4 statistical tools(correlation, T-test ,One way
ANOVA and regressioll) were rUII. Bivarate analysis showed that there was a moderate,
positive correlation between BDI score and age of the respondent, which was statistically
significallt (1= 0.480, n = 60, p< 0.01) and one way ANOVA result indicate that there was a
Significant mean difference, F(2,57) =5.046, (P<0.05) among the three educational background
of the respondent groups, while there was no significant mean difference between religion.
According to an independent sample T-test finding, there was a significantly mean difference
ill the post -Divorce level of depressioll between adolescent living with father (M = 10.33
.SD=4. 888) and mother (M=18.7I,SD= 9.930) adolescents (t(58)) -4.385,p<0.05). Thepost
- Divorce level of depression among adolescents living with father was lower than mother
While there was no a significantly mean difference in the post - Divorce level of depression
between male (M =7.64,SD =2.803) alld female (M = 17. 22,SD= 7. 921) adolescents (t(58)) -
2. 546,p>0.05). In addition to this. the post - Divorce level of depression among male was
lower than female adolescents but there was a significantly significant. Similarly, there was
110 a sigllificantly mean difference ill the post - Divorce level of depression between age group
below 15 (M =9.91 ,SD =4.766) alld age group between 16-17 (M =16.1/ ,SD= 9.070 )
adolescellts (t(58)) -3.400 ,p>0.05).No sigllificant difference observed ill Multivarate analysis
of this study. As it was indicated from in-depth interview, teenagers used informal support system
and formal support systems were able to cope up with their depression. Teen with their mother
as custodial parent, had positive relatiollship ulllike their father. Finally, residential change,
educatiollal peljormance, alld altitudinal change toward marriage were found to be major
experiences of teen after parent separation. Conflict was a major cause of separatioll between
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I!OW what they feel but as they said they prefer their parents' divorce than bad marriage friendly
illtervention could resolve the problem if illitiated early .As social work implications, support
programs have to be developed to deal with the need of children and families ' on parental
separation and after. Research should be done on Children's experiences of court processes in
cOllnection with parental separatioll alld divorce. Social work education curriculuill should
consider to create different ways to children cope with effect of divorce. Family policy should be
child celliered70 reauce the effecrof divorce 011 children.
Key words: Depression, divorce, teenagers
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Keywords
Depression, divorce, teenagers