Latency-age daughters of divorced parents: A Rorschach analysis.
Item
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Title
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Latency-age daughters of divorced parents: A Rorschach analysis.
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Identifier
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AAI9130389
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identifier
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9130389
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Creator
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Woods, Alexandra Hamilton.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Steven Tuber
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Date
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1991
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Clinical | Psychology, Developmental
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Abstract
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Despite considerable research on the long term effects of divorce on children, empirical examination of the intrapsychic functioning of daughters of divorced parents is limited. Specifically, the apparent shift in functioning between latency and adolescence in daughters of divorced parents (Wallerstein's "sleeper effect" (1989)) has not been explained.;In this study, it was hypothesized that latency age girls from divorced families would show underlying vulnerabilities, in the form of impaired object representations, when compared to same age girls from intact families. Rorschach responses of the two groups were evaluated by Urist's Mutuality of Autonomy Scale and Blatt's Concept of the Object Scale. Girls' behavior, predicted not to differ between the two groups, was measured by the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist.;Divorced mothers were predicted to show heightened symptomatology, as measured by Derogatis' Brief Symptom Inventory, and heightened stress levels, using Dohrenwend and Dohrenwend's PERI Life Events Scale, as compared to married mothers. Additionally, maternal symptomatology and stress were predicted to correlate inversely with girls' object representational levels.;D group girls did not differ significantly from M group girls on the behavior checklist or the object relations scales, with one exception: they produced more mature COB Nature of Activity scores. However, D group girls produced significantly more Rorschach responses. The author concluded that there is not a direct relationship between parental divorce and impaired object representations in latency age girls. However, heightened Rorschach rate, which also correlated with maternal symptomatology, could be an indicator of potential underlying vulnerability in these latency age girls.;Divorced mothers were significantly more symptomatic than married mothers. Maternal symptomatology correlated strongly with girls' Rorschach productivity, and moderately with girls' COB OR- scores, but not their MOA scores.;In a clinical discussion, differences were described among four groups of divorced mothers, clustered by level of post divorce adjustment and attunement to daughter's needs. Additionally, particular divorce related themes on girls' Rorschach protocols were described.;In this study COB F{dollar}+{dollar} and F{dollar}-{dollar} scores clustered around two factors as demonstrated by Blatt and Lerner (1984). Rorschach object representation scores correlated with each other and with form level scores.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
