The Feeling of Orphanhood Among Children of Separated Parents

Abstract

The current research aimed to: 1. Identify the feeling of orphanhood among children of divorced parents. To achieve the research objectives, the researchers developed a scale to measure the feeling of orphanhood, based on Papalia's theory (Papalia, 2001). This scale was applied to both males and females, and consisted of 22 items. Its psychometric properties were verified. The scale was presented to a group of experts to ensure its face validity. Its reliability was measured using the test-retest method, and Cronbach's Alpha coefficient reached (0.86). The statistical research sample consisted of (200) male and female students from children of divorced parents. The data were analyzed using a set of appropriate statistical methods, including: one-sample t-test, independent samples t-test, Pearson correlation coefficient, and Chi-square test. The results revealed the following: • Children of divorced parents suffer from high levels of the feeling of orphanhood compared to their peers from non-divorced families.