Chinese adults’ perceptions about the influence of their parents’ divorce on their childhood academic performance

Abstract: In this study, we aim to discover how Chinese adults’ perceive the influence of their parents’ divorce on their academic performance. A total number of 22 Chinese adult participants took part in the individual semi-structured interviews, and answers were analyzed by using content analysis. The results of the study show a partial consistence with previous research that there might be short-term negative influence of parents’ divorce on their children’s’ academic performance. Yet these participants recounted that they were able to independently cope with the stressful situations related to their parents’ divorce and reduce, or even remove, the negative influence on their academic studies in the long term. Other participants who regarded themselves as highly social and communicative and/or who received social support did not perceive any negative influence. We show that external factors, such as how parents handle the divorce and support from other family members, teachers and peers, might work together with participants’ internal factors to result in reducing negative influences on academic performance and achievements.