High-conflict divorce and parental manipulation of children

Razvod braka je jedan od najstresnijih događaja u životu, kako za partnere, tako i za njihovu djecu. Djeca često sebe krive za razvod roditelja te mogu imati različite eksternalizirane i internalizirane probleme ovisno o njihovoj dobi. Visokokonfliktni razvod je razvod koji djeci predstavlja veći problem jer su često u središtu sukoba roditelja koji ne prestaju, nego se čak i pojačavaju za vrijeme i nakon razvoda. Kod roditelja koji ne uspijevaju razdvojiti partnersku ulogu od roditeljske dolazi do manipulacije djecom u procesu razvoda. Do manipulacije dolazi kada roditeljski sukobi postaju toliko dinamični i dugotrajni da se dijete stavlja u drugi plan i postaje sredstvo postizanja cilja ili osvete bivšem partneru. Krajnji oblik manipulacije je otuđenje djeteta koje predstavlja oblik emocionalnog zlostavljanja. Kada se donose odluke koje se tiču djeteta, treba se voditi najboljim interesom djeteta uvažavajući njegova prava i potrebe. Cilj ovog diplomskog rada je ukazati na važnost pravovremenog prepoznavanja visokokonfliktnih razvoda, manipulativnih ponašanja i rizičnih čimbenika od strane roditelja koji se razvode kako bi stručnjaci što prije mogli djelovati i zaštititi dobrobit djeteta.Divorce is one of the most stressful events in life, both for partners and their children. Children often blame themselves for their parents' divorce and may have different externalized and internalized problems depending on their age. High-conflict divorce is a divorce that is a bigger problem for children because they are often at the center of conflicts between parents who do not stop, but even intensify during and after the divorce. In the case of parents who fail to separate the partnership role from the parental one, children are manipulated in the divorce process. Manipulation occurs when parental conflicts become so dynamic and long-lasting that the child is put in the background and becomes a means of achieving a goal or revenge on an ex-partner. The ultimate form of manipulation is the alienation of the child which is a form of emotional abuse. When making decisions concerning the child, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration, respecting his or her rights and needs. The aim of this thesis is to point out the importance of timely recognition of high-conflict divorces, manipulative behaviors and risk factors by divorcing parents so that experts can act as soon as possible and protect the welfare of the child