As children, we depend greatly on our parents to satisfy our basic needs, for guidance, nurturance and for help in shaping our emotions, behaviors and relationships. For children, the family is a highly valued context for understanding and interpreting their development as individuals. As Bjorklund and Pelligrini (2001) have asserted, we are a “slow-developing, big-brained species”, the relatively large size of our brains demands a prolonged period of immaturity, therefore requiring a great deal of support and nurturance from parents (DeLoache, J., Eisenberg, N., Siegler, R. 2011). However, an adaptive consequence to this extended immaturity is our high level of neural plasticity and our ability to learn from experience. Growing up in a stable environment can undoubtedly reap successful development for children on many levels, just as living in an unstable environment will certainly allow for undesirable consequences. Despite great individual differences, research from psychologists such as Erik Erikson and Sigmund Freud, among others allows us to organize and understand the affects of long lasting parental conflict on child development and family. Research has allowed a strong shot at understanding child development, allowing parental conflict to be observed and connected with the development of children across many aspects. It is largely the differences between socioeconomic status, culture, race, gender and level of conflict, support and resiliency, which directly affect children and other relatives over time. A longitudinal study of one hundred and eighty seven children ages five and six has shown us that parental separation is greatly associated with an increased rate of emotional and behavioral problems in children (Clemens,... ... middle of paper ... ...l Journal of Behavioral Development, 22(4), 729-751. doi:10.1080/016502598384144 Sarrazin, J., & Cyr, F. (2007). Parental conflicts and their damaging effects on children. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 47(1), 77-93. Siegler, R., DeLoache, J., & Eisenberg, N. (2011). How children develop (Third ed.). New York, New York: Worth Publisher. STADELMANN, S., PERREN, S., GROEBEN, M., & von KLITZING, K. (2010). Parental separation and children's Behavioral/Emotional problems: The impact of parental representations and family conflict. Family Process, 49(1), 92-108. doi:10.1111/j.1545-5300.2010.01310.x Sturge-Apple, M., Davies, P. T., & Cummings, E. M. (2006). Impact of hostility and withdrawal in interparental conflict on parental emotional unavailability and children's adjustment difficulties. Child Development, 77(6), 1623-1641. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2006.00963.x
Family therapy is often needed when families go through transitions such as separations between parents and divorce. According to research, “the power of family therapy derives from bringing parents and children together to transform their interactions” (Nichols, & Davis, p.18), as problems need to be addressed at their source. The children who are the most vulnerable, when parents decide to separate, exhibit symptoms which are exaggerations of their parent’s problems (Nichols, & Davis, p.18). Frank and Walt Berkman are the examples of how children cope and adapt to the stressors of family separations such as marital separations and
Berk, L. (2009). Child Development (Custom Edition for Pennsylvania State University ed.). New York : Custom Publishing.
A child needs both of their parents’ love and affection while growing up. A child that grows up with both has a higher chance of being a more stable person. However, not all children have this luxury; some children are born into dysfunctional families that consist of only one parent like the children in the Wingfield family. “A study of 1,977 children age 3 and older living with a residential father or father figure found that children living with married biological parents had significantly fewer externalizing behavioral problems than children living with at least one non-biological parent” (Consequences of Fatherlessness). The absent parent in the Wingfield family affected everyone in the family, not only the children. The absent father,
At some point in every parent-child relationship, the child gets to a point where he no longer wants to feel dependent upon his parent. In some cases, the child will emotionally detach himself from his parent in order to
Divorce is becoming a worldwide phenomenon, significantly affecting children’s well-being. It radically changes their future causing detrimental effects. According to (Julio Cáceres-Delpiano and Eugenio Giolito, 2008) nearly 50% of marriages end with divorce. 90% of children who lived in the USA in the 1960s stayed with their own biological parents, whereas today it makes up only 40% (Hetherington, E. Mavis, and Margaret Stanley-Hagan, 1999). Such an unfavorable problem has been increasing, because in 1969, the legislation of California State changed the divorce laws, where spouses could leave without providing causes (Child Study Center, 2001). This resolution was accepted by the other states and later, the number of divorced people has been steadily growing. Such a typical situation is common for most countries in the world, which negatively affects children’s individuality. However, remarkably little amount of people can conceive the impact of marital separation caused to offspring. (? passive) Many children after separation of parents are exposed to a number of changes in the future. They have to be getting used to a further living area, feelings and circumstances. Their response to divorce can vary and depends on age, gender and personal characteristics. This essay will show the effects of divorce on children under various aspects such as educational, psychological and social impact. In addition, it will contain data about the divorce rate in the US and present disparate reactions of children. It will also include adequate recommendations for parents as to how act to children after divorce, in order to minimize the adverse effect on children.
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...
Children of divorced parents may have a lower sense of psychological well-being than children who grew up with intact families the range of feelings that a child may encounter include: disbelief and denial, sadness, loss, loneliness, depression, anger, anxiety, fear, relief, and hope. Some children may experience long-lasting emotional effects into their adulthood that damage their ability to preserve relationships. The result of parental divorce shapes children emotionally and may impact self-esteem, future relationships, dating and marriage (Armando Loomis and Booth 895+)..
Foulkes-Jamison, Lesley Matthews, D. Wayne, (1998). Long-term effects of divorce on children. [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/fcs/pdfs/fcs482.pdf
The development of families and individuals in the family affect parent child relations. This includes leaving home, marriage, first child birth, divorce, relocating, working outside the home, and possible illnesses or disability. The developments put tension, pressure, and stress on a child and parents relationship. Causing the child to resent and or feel slighted by the parent. They feel this way because of unfair treatment, not enough attention, recent failures, and a possible divorce. A child may feel as though their parent isn’t treating as though they should and it may cause tension in the parent child relationship. It could also cause resentment from the child to the parent. Leaving home can be a bad experience and feeling for the parent and the child. Depending on whom leaves home the parent or the child even if just ...
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...
Many children are separated from their parents by the earliest age of three months. Separation from parents can cause a great amount of stress for many young children. Which this type of separation could have potential long-term consequences for their mental and physical health. A child needs to establish a secure attachment in their relationship with their
Child Development is a well organised and user friendly pedagogical book. Santrock says, “This book is about children’s development – its universal features, its individual variations, its nature at the beginning of the twenty-first century.”
Many children in today’s society are growing up in a single parent household as a result of divorce. This creates a binuclear family where the child is living in two different households. It is believed that if the parents can have “good” divorce that the child will essentially have the same healthy emotions as before. The textbook Delinquency in Society states that divorce can cause many problems for children, but it has not been linked to delinquency (Regoli, Hewitt, DeLisi, 255).
“I hate you!” Most mothers have heard this at least once, as an expression of anger, not sincerity. However, a few children direct undeserved rage at previously cherished parent due to a derogatory campaign from the other parent. Parental alienation is the term used to describe behaviors, chiefly during high conflict divorce, of one parent to coerce his child into cruelty against the targeted parent for reasons not based in reality.
Children who suffer from a family breakdown can effect the child's educational achievement, behaviour, mental health and long-term health. There are significant differences between children who experience parental separation compared with children from intact families. Although the difference between the two groups is generally statistically significant, effect sizes are nevertheless small, reflecting the fact that within both groups, children vary widely in their experiences. Children from intact families can experience circumstances known to increase the risk of poor outcomes such as poverty, parental conflict, violence and poor parenting, whilst children whose parents separate may not experience these or can cope well, with the result that many children experiencing family