Lived experiences of separated women in Tamil Nadu, India: Psychological well-being

Pages: 122-133
Alex Arockiasamy Susairathinam (Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology, De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines)

This qualitative study explored lived experiences of separated women in Tamil Nadu, India. Survey of the literature
describes: divorced women experience high amount of anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, sleep disorders, stress
that adversely affecting their life , self, thinking and putting them in emotional and behavioral problems. The impact
of divorce, in the context of India is severe because of social stigma and economic hardship, so this study aimed to
know the factors that led to marital separation and psychological well-being of separated women after separation.
Participants included in this study were nine (9) women with marital separation. The researcher conducted in-depth
interview with the participants. The transcripts were content analyzed by a research team of two, reviewed by an
auditor and arrived to consensus of the final themes. The final themes from exploration of women’s lived experience
revealed dysfunctional marital relationships led to marital separation and psychological well being seen in their
resilience, positive relationships and emerging self. The implications for family psychology and future research
directions are discussed for Tamil Nadu context in Indian.