While divorce gives parents a novel opportunity to begin a new life, it leads to an unfortunate twist in lifestyle for the children. In “What About The Kids? Raising Your Children Before, During, and After Divorce” Judith S. Wallerstein, Ph.D., a psychologist who spent 25 years of her life studying the effects of divorce on children, and Sandra Blakeslee, a scientist writer who has spent nearly all of her profession writing for New York Times, wrote, “Each decision to divorce begins a long journey that holds surprising, unexpected turns.”. Divorce leads to many unforeseen negative consequences for the children involved. Some frequent symptoms such as, anxiety, depression, guilt and grief emerge in the children’s behavior. Anxiety is used as a broad name for numerous disorders that involve nervous fear, and worrying; children experience nearly the equivalent feelings when their parents separate, for children behave in an overly intense and uptight conduct. As American Academy of Child and Adolescent points out, a couple of the symptoms of separation anxiety are: continuous worries about family and being overly clingy. A frequent children's worry appears when children go away from a parent leaving the other parent alone; moreover, children assume that in their absence parents get hurt or become unwell. Another familiar worry appears when the children sleep. Children have nightmares about their parent’s separation, fearing to be left unaccompanied at some point. Helpguide.org states that children are clingy with the parent that is taking care of them by following him/her around the dwelling and holding to the parent’s arm if he/she attempts to step outside of the dwelling. The overly clingy approach of children toward parents is caus... ... middle of paper ... ...nocence and sincerity. Children are not able to completely understand what the whole divorce course means. The effects children experience, such as anxiety, depression, guilt and grief, are some ways in which children express their feelings towards separation. Divorce does not signify separation for parents only; it also implies the consequence of a series of eternal effects for children if not treated carefully. Works Cited 1. “What About The Kids? Raising Your Children Before, During, and After Divorce” by Judith Wellerstein and Sandra Blakeslee. 2. American Academy of Child and Adolescent 3. Helpguide.org 4. “Parenting After Divorce; Resolving Conflicts and Meeting Your Children’s Needs” by Philip M. Stahl, Ph.D. 5. “The Truth About Divorce” by Barry Youngerman and Mark J. Kittleson, Ph.D. 6. “Helping Your Kids Cope with Divorce” by M. Gary Neuman, L.M.H.C.
Within his book Helping Children Survive Divorce: What to Expect, How to Help, Archibald Hart (1996) offers parents and caregivers practical suggestions for preventing psychological and social damage that children often encounter as a result of parental divorce. While his credentials as a noted author, speaker, and family therapist draw people to reading this book, Hart’s personal experience as a child of divorce provides his greatest authority in offering useful information on this topic. Hart’s premise is that parents need to realize that children are unwilling and voiceless participants in the breaking up of their families; therefore, fathers and mothers must prioritize finding ways to cushion children as much as humanly possible from
Gordon, D. A., & Arbuthnot, J. (2005). Children in the middle: working with divorcing parents. (6. ed.). Athens, Ohio: Center for Divorce Education.
Jamison, Lesley "The Effects of Divorce on Children". Clinical Psychology Associates of North Central Florida, P.A. American Psychological Association, 7 Oct. 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.
Stress is one of the biggest effects that divorce has on children. Children are often torn between parents. Some families have a routine of one week with one parent and one week with the other, which is referred to as joint custody. In some cases the child will choose or the court will determine that the child is to live with one parent. Children find the most stress from this situation because they aim to please both parents, but the chi...
Debord, Karen. “The Effects of Divorce on Children.” Focus on Kids. n.d.Web. Apr 16 2014.
Divorce is not only a change in lifestyle or relationship for two adults, but also the children that may be involved experience changes. Their lifestyle and their relationship with their parents also change. A child’s lifestyle and relationship with his or her parents could be damaged resulting from the decision of their parent’s divorce. Children of different ages may react differently to the decision of his or her parent’s separation. Children’s behavior may vary at the time of their age and custody decisions. The effects on a child during and after the divorce could decrease academic, behavior, and social skills depending on his or her reaction of a parent’s new spouse.
Landers, Ann ? (accessed on January 8, ‘04) THE EFFECTS OF DIVORCE ON CHILDREN PARENTING DURING AND AFTER DIVORCE,
Lamb, Michael E. and Sternberg, Kathleen J. (1997) The Effects of Divorce and Custody Arrangements on Children?s Behavior, Development and Adjustment [On-Line]. Available: http://gw3.epnet.com/ehost.asp?key=xwBRPG6&site=ehost
Adults are usually able to articulate their emotions and verbalize their distress, anger, pain and confusion to help themselves through this period of transition in their lives. As well, adults have the means and ability to seek outside professional assistance independently. Children on the other hand, are not as likely to have the ability to identify the source or kind of turmoil they are experiencing. Therefore, it is difficult for us, as adults, to be fully aware of the consequences of divorce on our children.
The idea of divorce is a gruesome experience, not only for the parents but more for the child. As marriages fall apart, children are deeply affected in traumatizing ways depending on how bad the relationship is, and how young the child is. Children who have experienced their parents getting a divorce often develop a low self-esteem, social difficulties, and resentment towards their parents as they grow older. When parents go through a divorce, the kids often feel like they are to blame, ultimately lowering their self-esteem. While this mostly occurs when they are young, it “can be long lasting…, if not addressed” (“Long Term Effects of Divorce on Children”). Therefore, their view on the world changes as they feel like they will never be able
Dealing with conflicts between parents during divorce causes children to lose their sense of security. Children feel secure when they are with both of their parents. If this feeling of security is diminished, children will have a slight possibility of developing psychological disorders. Children with divorced parents tend to be alone or have fewer friends because of the separation of their parents. Divorce and separation are emotional processes in which the child is affected just as much as are the parents. After a divorce, the child whose parents are disconnected feels incomplete, empty, anxious, depressed and has low self-esteem. After the child realizes that their parents will never be together again, he or she will always feel incomplete to an extent. Children want to be with their parents at family dinners, dance concerts, football games, and other social activities and gatherings. This is far more unlikely to happen in families with divorced parents. Anxiety, depression and other negative feelings, which appear in children during the time of divorce, will affect children and, may, in extreme cases, even drive them to the point where they start to think of
The topic of divorce sparked my interest as it has become a common process among American people and keeps increasing since the past few decades. Divorce not only breaks up a family but also affects children negatively. Children in the stages of early childhood development are mainly vulnerable since they are in a stage where they learn and change rapidly. According to an online article entitled, “The Impact of Parental Divorce on Emerging Adults’ Self-Esteem,” it is stated that “More than one million young children under the age of eighteen experience parental divorce every year,” and the consequences of this affect children’s “psychological adjustment, behavior, social ability, self-esteem, and academic achievement” (Block). These impacts
The act of divorce in America has become something that is all too common, with people failing to fight for their relationships; also, young adults seem very quick to tie the knot without really knowing their partner as well as they should. A main concern with divorce is the affect it will have on their children, as well as their future relationships. Many studies show that children who come from a divorced relationship are far more likely to have failed relationships of their own. This is simply due to how the parents bring along the divorce, as well as how they go about their lives after it. The rate of failed relationships held by children with divorced parents can greatly be reduced. Divorce can be destructive to a child’s sense of trust as well as commitment. While some children know about the arguments, others are surprised by the separation and have a harder time adapting to the change. Many kids go their whole life having to go back and forth between parents, and many children have to listen to their parents talk badly of the other. This conflict will sometimes convince children that giving up on a relationship and getting a divorce is definitely an option, making them more likely to give up on their significant other later in life. Other times, divorce will drive the child away from commitment completely, because they
Today, around 50% of children in the United States will witness their parents’ divorce before they reach the age of 18. This effects the child in many ways especially when the child is so young and trying to figure out how to process, and cope with the drastic change in their life. The main effects that divorce imposes on children today is emotionally and physically draining. Divorce for children can be painful and life changing no matter the age of the child. Witnessing this event unfold does unfortunately leave permanent damage in many aspects of the child’s life.
For better or for worse, divorce is an emotionally daunting subject that has become more prevalent in recent years. It would almost appear as though everyone you know has either experienced it as a child or have been through a divorce themselves. Despite divorce being so well known as a concept, many of the repercussions of going through one aren’t as well known. This paper will discuss issues with communication, finances, and what can happen to children that are involved in a divorce.