A Comparative Study of Rumination, Healthy Locus of Control, and Emotion Regulation in Children of Divorce and Normal Children

Given that divorce is an important phenomenon with significant impacts on families, especially on children, the present study aimed to examine rumination, healthy locus of control, and emotion regulation in children of divorce and normal children. This was a cross-sectional study. The statistical population included all students in the first grade of high school, in Tabriz City, Iran in the first semester of 2016-2017 academic year. With the help of school consultants and using a convenience sampling method, 45 children of divorce and 45 normal children were selected from this population. The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control scale, and the Ruminative Response Scale were used to collect the study data. The obtained data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including the multivariate analysis of variance. According to the results, compared to normal children, children of divorced parents had significantly higher rumination, suppression emotion regulation, and chance and powerful others locus of control; but significantly lower reappraisal emotion regulation and internal locus of control (F1, 88=27.53, P<0.05). Rumination, healthy locus of control, and emotion regulation have important role in mental health and adjustment. Because impairment in these scopes is common among children of divorce, it is suggested that the results of the present study be used in designing treatment and care programs for children of divorce.