DIVORCE: A STUDY OF COPING BEHAVIORS AND THE INTERRELATEDNESS WITH RELIGIOSITY, LONELINESS, AND WELL-BEING

This research project was designed to assess the behavior patterns of divorced persons as they acted and reacted to the crisis experience. In the study, five hypotheses were developed to measure coping patterns of behavior and their relatedness to religiosity, loneliness, and reported well-being. Individual attempts to cope with divorce were reflected in intrapersonal and interpersonal perceptions expressed on the Family Coping Inventory (FCI). The FCI was one of four instruments used to gather data volunteered by 293 legally divorced individuals in the United States. A second instrument, the religiosity scale, measured individualistic reports of religious belief, activity, and practices. The religiosity scale was a self-reporting instrument comprised of closed and open-ended questions. The third instrument utilized was a loneliness scale that attempted to evaluate the individual\u27s perceived degree of loneliness. The fourth instrument was a well-being scale designed to solicit the divorced person\u27s feelings relative to life satisfaction. The expressed behaviors measured by the FCI clearly demonstrated that coping with divorce is a personal experience influenced by peers, family, beliefs, and the environment. Essentially the coping patterns of divorced individuals describe a subjective selection of behaviors that the individual perceives to be adjustment oriented and stress reducing. Five coping patterns were determined to be descriptive of the 91 behavior choices that individuals rated on a scale from helpful to not helpful. The five coping patterns reflect attempts at; (1) maintaining family stability and integrity, (2) developing interpersonal relationships and social support, (3) managing psychological tension and strain, (4) maintaining an optimistic definition of the situation, and (5) developing self-reliance and self-esteem. A later re-evaluation of the five coping patterns revealed that individuals express behaviors that focus upon family interests, social and religious activities, expressing personal feelings, and developing self-esteem. The hypothesized relationships were tested by using the Pearson Product-moment Correlation and the results are as follows: (1) Analysis of the hypothesis relating coping behavior patterns and religiosity revealed that Coping Patterns I, II, and IV were negatively significant at the .05 level. (2) Analysis of the hypothesized relationship between coping behavior patterns and reported loneliness revealed that Coping Patterns II and III were negatively significant at the .05 level of confidence. (3) Analysis of the hypothesized relationship between coping behavior patterns and reported well-being revealed that Coping Patterns II, IV, and V were negatively significant at the .05 level