Remarriage after divorce in a collectivist context: Lived experiences of family reorganization and social reintegration
Family Relations, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1111/fare.70266
- Dergi Adı: Family Relations
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Periodicals Index Online, Abstracts in Social Gerontology, Agricultural & Environmental Science Database, ATLA Religion Database, EBSCO Education Source, Education Abstracts, Gender Studies Database, Psycinfo, Public Affairs Index, Social Sciences Abstracts, EBSCO Communication Source, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Social Science Premium Collection (ProQuest), Communication Source (EBSCO), Education Collection (ProQuest), Education Source Ultimate (EBSCO), Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest), Sociology Database (ProQuest), Sociology Source Ultimate (EBSCO)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: collectivist culture, divorce, family counseling, family reorganization, remarriage
- Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt Üniversitesi Adresli: Hayır
Özet
Objective: This study explored how individuals with children from a previous marriage experience remarriage after divorce as family reorganization in a collectivist cultural context. Background: Although divorce and remarriage have become more visible across collectivist societies, remarriage remains underexplored as a lived experience, especially for those entering new unions while managing ties with a former spouse, parenting responsibilities, and social judgment. Methods: Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, the study drew on three semistructured interviews with each of eight remarried adults in Türkiye aged 30 to 50, all married for 5 years or less and with at least one child from a previous marriage. Twenty-four interviews were analyzed. Results: Five interconnected themes were identified: the process of remarriage, coping strategies, spousal relationship dynamics, relationships with ex-spouses, and social judgments and stigmatization. Participants described remarriage as a cautious, emotionally mixed transition shaped by prior marital experiences, parenting after divorce, and the search for stability and social acceptance. Coparenting and ties with former spouses required ongoing boundary work, while women more often described stigma and moral scrutiny and men more often reported pressure to restore family stability. Conclusion: For participants with children from a previous marriage, remarriage after divorce was experienced less as a new start than as reorganizing family life while managing past and present ties, parenting responsibilities, and the social meanings attached to remarriage. Implications: Support for remarried individuals and families should address the unfinished presence of the previous marriage in everyday life, including cross-household parenting, former-spouse ties, and the social meanings attached to remarriage.