Effects of Divorce on Children

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When two people marry, they are seemingly deciding that they will be together until death separates them. When those two married people then decide to start a family together, that further solidifies the notion that they will be together as a whole family unit. Unfortunately, some things do not always work out as hoped and planned for them to, and marriages fall apart. Statistics show that 50% of marriages end in divorce. It is an even more unfortunate situation when there are children involved. The psychological effects from the dissolution of a marriage are harder on children because they usually feel it is their fault that mommy and daddy are not together anymore. However, there are some instances where divorce is less stressful on the children, even the whole family unit, than the actual marriage itself. Lets explore both scenarios. Divorce can cause stress and anxiety on a child of any age. Depending on the age, children of divorce suffer psychological effects that are far reaching, even into adulthood and their own marriages. Young children in preschool age, do not really understand why their parents are divorced, and they have the need to get their parents back together. They may also tend to regress back to an earlier stage in their life by acting babylike in order to command more attention from both parents. Slightly older children, from about ages 6-8 years old, feel the same basic emotions, but they also tend to go through a grieving period, as well. They do not tend to revert back to earlier childhood stages, however they are more apt to feel lost in the ‘shuffle’ and start to wonder who will care for them, and wonder who really loves them because mom and dad stopped loving each other. Children ages 9 an... ... middle of paper ... ...children, both negative and positive. However, no matter which way the situation turns out, the one thing that everyone, both parents and researchers can agree on is always doing the best for the children so that they can grow up to be happy, healthy, emotionally stable, and productive adults. Works Cited 1. Foulkes-Jamison, Lesley. “Effects of Divorce on Children.” Clinical Psychology Associates of North Central Florida. Web. 03 July 2013. 2. Hansen, Lauren. “9 Negative Effects Divorce Reportedly Has on Children.” The Week. 28 Mar. 2013. Web. 03 July 2013. 3. Pickhardt, Carl. “The Impact of Divorce on Young Children and Adolescents.” Psychology Today. Web. 19 December 2011. 4. “Positive Effects of Divorce on Children.” Home and Family Ezine. www. home-family.top54u.com. Web. 23 January 2009. 5. “Positive Effects of Divorce on Children.” www.laws.com.

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