Aspects of Psychoaffective Development of Children Hailing from Divorced or Separated Parents in Urban and Periurban Areas: A Case Study from the City of Cotonou
- 1 Doctoral School of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, Abomey-Calavi, Benin
- 2 Doctoral School of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, Abomey-Calavi, Benin
- 3 Doctoral School of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, Abomey-Calavi, Benin
- 4 Doctoral School of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, Abomey-Calavi, Benin
Abstract
Instances of divorce or separation have consequences on the psychoaffective development of children. This article investigates the psychoaffective development of children hailing from separated or divorced families. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study involved 102 participants, with a sampling of children from open and closed care facilities under the auspices of the archdioceses of Cotonou. The analysis of the results obtained confirmed that the aggressiveness and lack of discipline observed in certain children, mostly among boys, can be attributed to the absence of the parents; and those affective deficiencies are expressed through sadness, distress, the taking of narcotics, or depression. Supportive psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and the presence of a fitting substitute for the absent parent are all recommended to ameliorate the psychological wellbeing of such children.
- Aguilar, I., & Galbes, H. (2002). Guide de la Vie Familiale. Madrid: Safeliz.
- Aubry, J. (2003). Psychanalyse des Enfants Séparés: Etudes Cliniques 1952-1986. Paris: Denoël.
- Bandura, A. (1986). Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
- Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment. New York: Basic Books.
- Bowlby, J. (1973). Attachment and Loss: Separation. New York: Basic Books.
- Bowlby, J. (1980). Attachment and Loss: Loss, Sadness, and Depression. New York: Basic Books.
- Chaplier, C., & Crosnier, é. (2014). Dimension et Autonomisation Psychoaffectives dans Deux Dispositifs Hybrides: Etudes de Cas en Master 2. Alsic, 17, 1-28. https://doi.org/10.4000/alsic.2739
- Cohen-Solal, J. (1982). Les Deux Premières Années de la Vie, le Prodigieux éveil de l’Enfant. Paris: Réponses/Robert Laffont.
- Gardner, R. A. (1998). The Parental Alienation Syndrome: A Guide for Mental Health and Legal Professionals. Cresskill, NJ: Creative Therapeutics.
- Klein, M. (1968). Essais de Psychanalyse (1921-1945) (M. Derrida, Trans.). Paris: Payot.
- Lévesque, J. (1998). Méthodologie de la Médiation Familiale. Montréal: Erès.
- Liberman, R. (1984). Les Enfants du Divorce. Handicaps et Inadaptations, 26, 24-37.
- Lorin, A. M. (2009). Les étapes du Développement Affectif de l’Enfant, Illustrées de Dessins. https://www.psychiatriemed.com
- Mahler, M. (1975). The Psychological Birth of the Human Infant: Symbiosis and Individuation. New York: Basic Books.
- Petitclerc, J. M. (2005). Les Nouvelles Délinquances des Jeunes. Paris: Dunod.
- Piaget, J. (1969). The Psychology of the Child (B. Inhedler, Trans.). New York: Basic Books.
- Sanguet, M. (2014). Quand les Parents se Séparent. Montréal: Erès.
- Sillamy, N. (1995). Dictionnaire de la Psychologie. Paris: Larousse.
- Spitz, R. (1945). Hospitalism: An Inquiry into the Genesis of Psychiatric Conditions in Early Childhood. Psychoanalytic Study of the Child, 1, 53-74. https://doi.org/10.1080/00797308.1945.11823126
- Von Bertalanffy, L. (1968). General System Theory: Foundations, Development, Applications. New York: George Braziller.