| Summary: | A grounded theory design was used in this investigation of
women's experiences of adapting to separation and divorce. The
focus of the study was on explicating the social processes that
shape the ways in which women negotiate the changes brought on by
the termination of their marriages. In-depth interviews were
conducted with eight women from the Greater Vancouver area. The
women described (a) the circumstances that led up to their
physical separation from their husbands, (b) what changes they
felt resulted, (c) what they had to do to manage those changes,
(d) what facilitated or hindered their coping efforts, and (e)
what they would like for themselves in their new lives.
Results of the study highlighted the complexity and variety
of women's experiences, and supported the notion that adaptation
for these women was a dynamic process that reflected the
interaction of various 'dimensions' of their experience. These
'dimensions' were linked in a conceptual model that reflected the
basic social process of transforming. The model also situated
the perceived impact of separation and divorce, and women's
subsequent coping efforts in the rich contexts of their lives.
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