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the effects of divorce on children full essay
the effects of divorce on children full essay
the effects of divorce on children essay
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How does Divorce affect the well-being of Children? Divorce is “the ending of a marriage by a legal process”, (Merriam-Webster.com, 2012). Divorce is sadly commonplace in our society today. Over time, much like erosion in nature, a sequence of events or constant conflict eats away at the fabric of marriage. “In many cases it is preceded by a lengthy period of conflict between spouses. It is reasonable to expect that when this predisposition conflict, and the corresponding emotional upset on the part of the parents, may cause problems for children” (Furstenberg & Cherlin, 1991, p. 63) Adults seeking divorce often overlook the impact on their children’s well-being. The affects prior to divorce and after are far reaching. Depending on how negatively …show more content…
Many areas affected are often affect but to varying degrees. More currently, studies have also concluded that functional stability can offset the negative effects of family changes. Structure and consistency is important to help minimize adjustment issues. Minimizing changes in a child’s routine, continuity of current extracurricular activities, schools, and friends can help to reduce the socio-economical affects caused by divorce. Parents also benefit by minimizing changes for themselves as well. A social circle consisting of friends and family provide the emotional support to help them to adjust also. Maintaining the “status quo” as much as possible seems to benefit the family as whole (Phillips, …show more content…
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Over the past decades, the patterns of family structure have changed dramatically in the United States. The typical nuclear family, two married parents with children living together in one household, is no longer the structure of the majority of the families today. The percentage of single-parent families, step-families and adopted families has increased significantly over the years. The nuclear family is a thing of the past. Family situations have tremendous influence upon a child’s academic achievement, behavior and social growth.
Divorce can have multiple impacts on children of all ages and it affects them differently compared to the next. When we see or hear about divorce we were told negative things about it, which is not always the case. Children of Divorce has been around for several centuries and has a very important meaning in the lives of many. When you first start to read this paper you already have your idea of the definition
Jeynes, W. (2002). Divorce, family structure, and the academic success of children. New York: Haworth Press.
Additionally, “The Effects of a Single Parent Home on a Child’s Behavior” by Marnie Kunz, “For every $100 of child support mothers receive, their children’s standardized test scores increase by ⅛ to 7/10 of a point” (Kunz, 1). “Living in poverty is stressful and can have many emotional effects on children, including low self-esteem, increased anger and frustration and an increased risk for violent behavior” (Kunz, 1). Welfare and child support has given single parents the ability to spare their children of their financial and relationship issues therefore, children are able to focus on their schoolwork on their personal lives without stress and interference. Also, several scholarships are available for all members of a single parent household. “Fortunately, there are a number of scholarships available to help children of single-parent homes attend college” (Kunz, 2). Poverty by Single Parent Houses no longer prevents children from entering college. Tragedies unfortunately, tend to repeat themselves. In the article titled “U.S. Single Parent Households”, it is said that “70% of gang members, high school dropouts, teen suicides, teen pregnancies and teen substance abusers come from single mother homes” (Ahlberg, 1). Teen pregnancies have been proven to be the root cause of the majority of children being born into
Sobolewski, Juliana M., and Paul R. Amato. 2007. "Parents' Discord and Divorce, Parent-Child Relationships and Subjective Well-Being in Early Adulthood: Is Feeling Close to Two Parents Always Better than Feeling Close to One?." Social Forces 85, no. 3: 1105-1124. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed March 8, 2011).
Girgis, George, & Anderson (2011) define marriage as the union of a man and a woman who make a permanent and exclusive commitment to each other of the type that is naturally (inherently) fulfilled by bearing and rearing children together. These marriages are intended to last eternity and are partially accomplished by raising children together, yet four of every ten marriages lead to divorce and of these divorces, 35% involve children (Ambert, 2009). Children tend to blame themselves for the divorce and are usually caught in the crossfire. These divorces lead to both stress and depression for children and without a strong sense of family, children will have a huge disadvantage over children with a stable healthy family (Arreola, Hartounian, Kurges, Maultasch, & Retana, 2013). Without the ability to cope with the stress of a divorce, children can be effected in multiple ways including a change in mentality, unacceptable behavioural traits and both short and long term emotional factors that will ultimately lead to a critical issue in child development.
Schroeder, R. D., Osgood, A. K. and Oghia, M. J. (2010). Family transitions and juvenile
Divorce can be caused by problems such as drugs, adultery, abuse, and money. The United States is a fast-paced country with little to no time to spend on the basic family values it was founded upon. Jobs are more demanding, kids are spending most of their time with people other than their parents, and the economy drains marriages by causing worry and stress. The foundation upon which marriage was built has been shaken.
Divorce is a heavy concept that has many implications for those involved. The situation becomes even more consequential when children are considered. As divorce has become more commonplace in society, millions of children are affected by the separation of the nuclear family. How far-reaching are these effects? And is there a time when divorce is beneficial to the lives of the children? This paper will examine some of the major research and several different perspectives regarding the outcomes of divorce for the children involved, and whether it can actually be in the best interest of the kids.
Dawson, D.A. (1991) Family Structure and Children’s Health and Well Being National Health Interview Survey on Child Health, Journal of marriage and the Family
Divorce is a very common word in today's society. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, "divorce is the legal dissolution of a marriage or a complete or radical severance of closely connected things"(Pickett, 2000). This dissolution of marriage has increased very rapidly in the past fifty years. In 1950 the ratio of divorce to marriage was one in every four; in 1977 that statistic became one in two. Currently one in every two first marriages results in divorce. In second marriages that figure is considerably higher, with a 67% average (National Vital Statistics Report, 2001). One critical aspect of divorce is often not taken into consideration: How it affects children. Every year 1.1 million children are affected by divorce (Benjamin, 2000). Children from divorce or separation often exhibit behavioral and long-term adjustment problems (Kelly, 2000). Throughout this paper I will discuss divorces effects on children at different age levels, how they react, and what can be done to help them.
The divorce of their parents may not be the most damaging thing that can happen in a child’s life, but it will affect them for the rest of their life. The child will experience emotional shake ups, confusion of what is occurring, and hurt feelings that their parents decided not to remain married anymore. With help from their peers, the child can learn to cope and while it may not be easy, it is attainable to return the child’s life as close to normal as it can get. The negative effects of divorce will always outweigh the positive effects of their parents remaining in the struggling marriage.
(2009). The effects of divorce on children (Order No. 1470847). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Full Text. (304998358). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/304998358?accountid=458
Most people, when thinking about divorce, worry about the impact that it has on the children that are involved. Even though children are most likely better off if totally incompatible parents separate instead of staying together, divorce is about loss and change, and it is still hard for children. Everyone knows that divorce has its effects on children. There are three different sources that try to explain these effects. Graham Blaine Jr. states that divorce is a threat to all children, whereas Rhona Mahony states that divorce is not always the cause of behavioral or academic problems in children coming from divorced families. Yvette Walczak and Sheila Burns state that the extent of the damage can be determined by the parents and their methods of explanation to the children.
Amato, P. R. (2000). The consequences of divorce for adults and children. Journal of Marriage and Family, 62(4), 1269-1287.