| This research is an ethnography of self-help groups for separating and divorcing people. The aim of the study was to talk to group members about the divorce experience and the support they found in self-help groups.;The primary research objective focused on four main questions: who uses self-help groups, why are they participating in them, what happens inside them and how effective are they? A secondary objective was the exploration of the emotional nature of the divorce experience as described by those who were part of these groups.;Data was collected from November 1998 to February 2000 through participant observation at groups in session, through semi-structured interviews with self-help group members and demographic data from interviewees. These methods gave voice to the experiences of the group participants. To contextualize this information, data from G.S.S. 10 (1995) on "Family and Friends" was used to compare the membership of the self-help group with the general divorced population. The sample was representative on certain variables.;The conclusions of this research are that these groups provide an opportunity to create a personal account of divorce as well as emotional support, instrumental help, a social network and for some a family-like atmosphere. However, some of the outcomes of divorce noted by participants such as loss of faith, financial costs and effects on children are far reaching. A core finding of the research is the negative impact that the divorce process has on individuals and families. Though self-help groups provide beneficial interim support, some factors such as the high personal and financial costs of divorce remain untouched. |
