Considering that over 45 percent of marriages today end in divorce, it is crucial to understand recent research regarding the positive and negative effects of divorce on children’s mental health. Studies have shown that although children of broken homes generally have more adjustment difficulties than children of intact families, the distinction between these two groups appears to be much less significant than previously assumed (1). In the case of parental separation, studies suggest that children undergo a decline in the standard of living, exhibit poorer academic performance, engage in increased alcohol/ substance abuse, as well as experience diminishing rates of employment. However, underlying factors must be taken into consideration when assessing the long-term consequence of divorce on children, which happens to be resiliency rather than dysfunction (1). These key contextual factors that influence post-divorce adjustment include parenting styles, custody arrangements, age of the child, financial stability, and most importantly, the nature and magnitude of parental conflict. Persistent, unsettled conflict or violence is linked to greater emotional anxiety and psychological maladjustment in children, whereas negative symptoms like fear and insecurity are reduced when parents resolve their conflicts through compromise and negotiation. Although divorce unveils many risk factors involving a child’s health, it may be more beneficial rather than detrimental to children living in highly discorded families, in which children are able to acquire externalizing and internalizing behaviors (1). The development of coping skills and living in a supportive and empathetic environment are two crucial components for children to manage their ne... ... middle of paper ... ...tal divorce: How much do children benefit? Journal of Marriage and Family, 63(2), 446-457. 5) Vanassche, S., Sodermans, A. K., Matthijs, K., & Swicegood, G. (2013). Commuting between two parental households: The association between joint physical custody and adolescent wellbeing following divorce. Journal of Family Studies, 19(2), 139-158. 6) Amato, P. R. (2000). The consequences of divorce for adults and children. Journal of Marriage and Family, 62(4), 1269-1287. 7) Gähler, M., & Garriga, A. (2013). Has the association between parental divorce and young adults' psychological problems changed over time? evidence from sweden, 1968-2000. Journal of Family Issues, 34(6), 784-808. 8) Halgin, R. P. (2005). Taking sides. Guilford, Conn: McGraw-Hill/Dushkin. 9) Arkowitz, Hal, and Scott O. Lilienfeld. (2013). "Is Divorce Bad for Children?". Scientific American Mind. 24(1).
A significant portion of children in the United States are impacted by divorce. Empirical investigations verify that children of divorce are at a heightened risk for the development of psychological, social, behavioral and academic issues (Amato, 2000; Amato, 2001). Amato and Keith (1991) studied the welfare of children of divorce compared with that of children whose parents are still married to each other. Children from divorced families scored considerably lower on a range of outcomes and it was shown that these problems can persist into adulthood. Given the high rate of divorce and the negative effects it has on our youth, the implementation of effective prevention programs has great significance (Wolchik, West, Sandler, Tein, Coatsworth, & Lengua, 2000).
Strohschein, L. (2005). Parental divorce and child mental health trajectories. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67, 1286-1300. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2005.00217.x
Hetherington, E. Mavis, and Margaret Stanley-Hagan. "The Adjustment of Children with Divorced Parents: A Risk and Resiliency Perspective." Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry & Allied Disciplines 40, no. 1 (January 1999): 129. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed March 8, 2011).
The first study to be considered is a qualitative study which spanned a 25 year period and looked at 131 children from divorced families of the 1970’s. It was specifically concerned with growth and development (psychologically and socially) of these children post divorce and had extensive follow-up interviews with both parents and children at 18 months, 5, 10 and 25 year marks. At the 25 year follow-up a comparison group of adult children from intact families who had otherwise similar backgrounds were also interviewed. Some of these “intact” families were ideal while others were filled with conflict, most were somewhere in the middle. This study found a casual relationship between divorce itself and the well-being of the children which was significant all the way into adulthood. The study found that parental conflicts from before the divorce were not dominant in the children’s memories but unhappiness was related mostly to the separation itself (most children in this study had no expectations of the breakup prior to it occurring). The exception to this is when violent events occurred as with 25% of c...
Most people divorce due to uncertain, complicated reasons. Perhaps divorce is a way for some to escape insecurities or personal problems. It’s no secret that divorce has helped people run from their problems instead of facing them. It is easily arguable that divorce is the primary cause of family destruction and relationships. According to American Psychological Association, about 90 percent of the twenty-first century marry by the age of 50 (APA). The APA states that healthy marriages are essential for couples’ mental and physical health. They are also influential when raising children; it also acknowledges that raising children in a happy home shields them from mental, physical, educational and social problems. Nevertheless, approximately
Zinsmeister, Karl. "Divorce's Toll on Children." American Enterprise. May/June 1996: 39-44. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 04 May. 2014.
Marriage is when a man and a woman become one. It is an institution under which a man and a woman establish their decision to live as husband and wife by legal commitments, religious and social ceremonies and most importantly marriage is a union that offers the ability to bare children and raise them under an organized and stable union. Marriage is the foundation of a family, a protection and extension of the self. It is no wonder that when a marriage comes to an end, the effects are abounding. Divorce is a painful experience for the two people who have made a commitment to love one another through sickness and in health, for better and for worse, until death do you apart. But the effects of divorce are deeper than a lack of commitment for
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.
Pasley, Kay. “The Long-Term Effects Of Divorce.” Stepfamilies 16.1 (1996): 11. MAS Ultra – School Edition.Web. 26 Feb. 2014.
Children who are raised by divorced parents are likely to be introverts and have difficulty throughout their lifetime. “According to the Office of National Statistics, at the present divorce rate, 45% of marriages are likely to end in divorce, half of those marriages will end in the first 10 years of marriage” (ONS). Many studies have shown that children that experience a divorce have more behavioral and conduct problems when compared with children in intact two-parent families. Individuals have long-term effects from divorce as they undergo this life-altering process, the transition process from an intact two-parent family to a one parent home, and having two separate homes, is very troublesome. The physiological damage leaves a scar, with
Hughes, Jr. R. Ph.D. (2009) The effects of divorce on children. University of Illinois at urbana-Champaign
Robbers, S. C., C., Bartels, M., van Beijsterveldt, C. E., M, Toos, . . . Boomsma, D. I. (2011). Pre-divorce problems in 3-year-olds: A prospective study in boys and girls. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 46(4), 311-9. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00127-010-0199-x
Shiono, P., & Quinn, L. S. (1994). Epidemiology of Divorce . Children and divorce, 4. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://futureofchildren.org/publications/journals/article/index.xml?journalid=63&articleid=408§ionid=2781
Myers-Walls, J., & Karuppaswamy, N. (2013). The effect of divorce on children: What makes a difference. Retrieved from https://www.extension.purdue.edu/providerparent/family-child relationships/effectdivorce.htm
Scientific American clarifies that, “In a 2002 study, psychologist E. Mavis Hetherington of the University of Virginia and her then graduate student Anne Mitchell Elmore found that many children experience short-term negative effects from divorce especially anxiety, anger, shock and disbelief.” (3) Some parents are so worried for their child’s welfare that they remain in unhappy marriages, believing it will protect their child from the trauma of divorce. In a 1985 study Hetherington and her associates reported that children who are exposed to high levels of marital discord before divorce adjust better than children who experience low levels. Studies show that only a relatively small percentage of children experience serious problems in the wake of divorce or later, as