Factors Affecting Adolescent Mental Health After Parental Separation

This report investigates the factors that influence the mental health of adolescents following parental separation. The research, which included a literature review and a primary survey, aimed to understand the impact of divorce on adolescents, challenging the common belief that younger children are most affected. Key findings indicate that adolescents are particularly vulnerable due to the emotional and hormonal changes they experience. The research evaluated the research process, decisions made, and the quality of the outcome. Sources included reliable online sources, government and research center data, medical databases, and both formal and informal sources. The survey helped to identify behavioral differences between adolescents from separated and intact families. The study highlighted the social significance of these findings, identifying factors such as age, family dynamics, and sibling presence as key determinants of the impact on mental health. The research suggests that adolescents require careful support to navigate these challenges and move forward after parental separation.

Summary
The aim of the product was to find out the factors that impact the mental health of adolescents in
the wake pf parental separation. It is known and accepted that adolescents coming from broken
homes are emotionally stunted and develop certain characteristic features. However, the
information and literature available is not enough. It is important to know the factors that affect
them in order to be able to protect the adolescents. The research process included the collection of
a folio from a variety of sources and a primary survey. The key findings suggest that divorce impacts
adolescents the most. This negates the popular belief that children below the age of 10 are the ones
who are most impacted. In reality, they are able to heal and move on the process. But due to burden
of bodily and hormonal changes, adolescents find it difficult to be accustomed to the changes
brought by parental separation.
E1: EVALUATION OF RESEARCH PROCESS USED, SPECIFIC TO THE RESEARCH QUESTION
QU: What factors impact adolescents by the separation of parents and how does this affect their
mental health and development?
This research was included as it is important to first have a grasp of how the adolescents truly
respond to parental separation. This knowledge forms the basis of the impact. In this piece of
literature collected from a reliable online source, the reactions of the adolescents have been
reviewed. Listening to their perspectives gives an idea about how their world is gathered around
their parents. Parental separation requires adjustment from their sides. Parents are a valued source
of socialization and support for the adolescents and separation from can have an impact on their
behavior and how they respond to others. The research debunks some of the popular myths about
parental separation. It was believed that the young offspring are the most affected because they are
unable to understand the criticality of the situation. On the other hand, the research revealed that
the adolescents are worst off. This is because they are at a juncture of life where their world is
changing. They are beginning to view the world for themselves and preparing for the adult life. A
drastic change at this shakes them up. Their trust is also broken and they start to view every
relationship aspects of their life as temporary.
The information from the sources provided key insights for the research. Certain factors like age,
family dynamics and presence of siblings were underlined as the one that determine the extent of
impact on the adolescents. The information was valid as it was taken from reliable sources that
either have been validated from the Australian government and research centers, taken from
medical database like PubMed, thesis and a psychology journal. Other more informal forms of
information sources have been also included as they provided a review of adolescent’s reactions
towards divorce. These included a blog and website posts, newspaper articles and a YouTube video
of a teacher talking about the major problems faced by her adolescent students. Due to the nature
of the research, I felt that it was essential to include both formal thesis and journal articles along
with informal articles as mentioned above. This would help me to base the research on solid
information as well on reviews of personal experiences of people who have gone through the
trauma of parental separation during their adolescence.
The sources are highly reliable as they are taken from website database or sites that are accepted by
all and have also been accepted for academic purposes. On the other hand, the informal reviews are
taken from blogposts, a renowned newspaper article, much accepted psychology website and
YouTube channel TEDx.

In conclusion, the sources of information were all justified in my portfolio. The only limitation was
that there was no firsthand information from an adolescent who was going through this experience.
All the responses were being provided by secondary sources which made it difficult to vouch for the
credibility of the responses.
E2 EVALUATION OF DECISIONS MADE IN RESPONSE TO CHALLENGE AND OR OPPORTUNITIES
SPECIFC TO THE RESEACH PROCESS USED
When I was done with my folio, I felt that summarizing secondary data and responses were not
enough. I felt that given the sensitive nature of the topic, it is possible that there is a bias attached to
it. Also, the significance of primary data which has been collected specifically for the research cannot
be highlighted more. As a result, I chose to also include a primary survey in the research folio. When
planning the primary survey, I was met with another dilemma. I could not decide whether I the
survey would include only adolescents who come from broken homes or all students in general. I
chose for the latter idea as I believed segregating students who had divorced parents would make
them more hesitant to participate in the survey. I also realized that including students that comes
from separated parents as well as from parents who are still together will help me to identify the
behavioral differences between the two.
It was also difficult to approach the students and convince them to participate in the essay. I asked
the students to contact their friends, peers and inform them about the survey. They were hesitant
because the topic was sensitive and even traumatic for them. I had to first take permission from the
head teacher and then approach the students. It took quite some effort in persuading them. I told
them that their personal data like their name, email and class details will not be shared or disclosed.
Many of the students used pseudonyms to fill the survey forms as well. They were given an
acknowledgement form that made them believe the seriousness of the research purpose.
I also noticed that some students had attempted only certain questions and left other blank. It could
be said that they did not feel comfortable answering them. This could hint towards their mental
state due to parental separation. But I was not sure how to incorporate that in my research. After
organizing the responses, I saw that they were not enough to be presented in the research. I later
asked the students who had attempted the survey to reach out to their friends and peers. I also
asked them to convey their experience of the survey to those people who were hesitant to take the
survey. This was done in the hope that other respondents would come up if they realize that the
survey is harmless, does not probe into their personal life than necessary and does not collect their
personal information. This idea worked in the end and more students came up to take the survey.
E3: EVALUATION OF THE QUALITY OF RESEARCH OUTCOME
The quality of my research outcome is satisfactory. Even though my outcome will not be put to any
public use but it supports the inference drawn by other researchers as well. I used a variety of
information sources and all of them were credible. I can vouch for the credibility of these sources as
their searching strategy was highly detailed and exclusive. I also added on a primary survey in my
research as I felt there was a dearth of first hand responses from adolescents who have gone
through parental separation. This was because, apart from the information collected from two
research journals and a thesis papers were speculative rather than being informative. I sought to
take the matter in my hand and perform a survey to be assured of the research outcomes. Yet, my
outcome was mainly based on the secondary research as the survey information was stunted and
mildly supported the secondary research outcomes as well. The main limitation of the survey was
the small sample size. I also could not ascertain whether the respondents answered correctly or

were guarding their responses. My research outcome was also impacted by the personal bias and
opinions of the authors I have included in my folio. It was difficult to free my research from this bias
and as an attempt to get credible outcomes, I performed a primary survey.
My research outcome debunked the popular idea that the offspring below the age of 10 are most
affected by the divorce. It proved that older offspring, who are even older than adolescents also
develop mental health issues like depression and anxiety after parental separation. The social
significance of this outcome enhances the quality of the research. Even though it is unlikely that the
research will be put to use. It can be still be utilized to raise an awareness within the small group of
people who come in touch with the research or were approached for its sake. Factors like presence
of siblings, age of the offspring, family dynamics and closeness to parents before divorce have been
identified as the factors that determine the intensity of impact on mental health. Adolescents have
more guarded responses; they often come off as rebels who have disassociated with the society.
This is a reason why they need to be dealt with care so that they are able to develop and move on
after parental separation.