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Journals / Research on Education and Psychology / 2025 / Volume: 9 Issue: 2

Evaluation of Post-Divorce Parenting through A Qualitative Study: Disneyland Parenting and Beyond

Sena Ozden(Kızıltepe Devlet Hastanesi, Psikiyatri Kliniği)0000-0001-9749-3945
Fadim Büşra Keleş(Yeşilyuva İlkokulu, Seyhan)0000-0001-6656-5109
Fatma Nur Aydemir(Şehit Demet Sezen Anaokulu)0000-0001-7647-0840
Mehmet Ak(Necmettin Erbakan Üniversite, Tıp Fakültesi, Psikiyatri Anabilim Dalı)0000-0003-1771-5654
Şahin Kesici(Necmettin Erbakan Üniversite, Tıp Fakültesi, Eğitim Fakültesi, Rehberlik ve Psikolojik Danışmanlık)0000-0003-3823-5385
Pages
—
Publication Date
2025-12-17
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

Our findings revealed that parents developed a range of emotional and practical strategies while structuring the limited time spent with their children.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:This study aimed to examine how divorced parents comprehend the time they spend with their children and to explore the phenomenon of “Disneyland parenting” that emerges during this process.
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Key Findings & Data:Using a qualitative research design, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 16 divorced parents (10 mothers and 6 fathers) and evaluated using thematic analyses.
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Conclusion & Impact:Our findings revealed that parents developed a range of emotional and practical strategies while structuring the limited time spent with their children.
🔬Design:Research Article
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Divorce · Parenting · Disneyland parenting

Abstract

This study aimed to examine how divorced parents comprehend the time they spend with their children and to explore the phenomenon of “Disneyland parenting” that emerges during this process. Using a qualitative research design, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 16 divorced parents (10 mothers and 6 fathers) and evaluated using thematic analyses. Our findings revealed that parents developed a range of emotional and practical strategies while structuring the limited time spent with their children. Parents organized this time by balancing their children’s needs with everyday constraints such as fatigue, workload, and financial limitations. Furthermore, the parents tended to relax disciplinary rules and planned leisure-oriented activities in an effort to alleviate feelings of guilt caused by the divorce and to make the limited time spent together as enjoyable as possible. This tendency corresponded to the concept of “Disneyland parenting”. However, the present study indicates that such attitudes were not exclusive to fathers; similar emotional motivations could also be observed among mothers. In conclusion, post-divorce parenting emerged as a dynamic process that extended beyond caregiving responsibilities—representing an effort to balance emotional compensation, moral concerns, and practical limitations. Understanding this complex process can offer valuable insights for parents, families, family counselors, and policymakers.

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Cite This Article

Ozden, S., Keleş, F. B., Aydemir, F. N., Ak, M., Kesici, Ş. (2025). Evaluation of Post-Divorce Parenting through A Qualitative Study: Disneyland Parenting and Beyond. Research on Education and Psychology, Volume: 9 Issue: 2. https://doi.org/10.54535/rep.1812014

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