Psychological Effects Of Single Parenting

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Children in single parent homes live very complicated lifestyles and will often grow up with many hardships. Single parent homes are becoming normal in today’s society and are beginning to outnumber nuclear two parent families. Being a single parent is hard when it comes to balancing a job, money, a place to live and on top of that raising a child. The struggles of the parent takes an enormous toll on the child with lifelong effects. As a child, living with a single parent can take a toll on academics and behavior. According to McLanahan and Sandefur, “The high school dropout rate of children of divorced parents is roughly two times higher than that of children of which the parents did not divorce” (“Children Divorce Statistics”). This statistic shows that living with a single parent can have a serious effect on a student's life and they are twice as …show more content…

Teens affected by lone parenting can turn to crime or drugs and alcohol abuse to fill the void and take their minds off of problems at home (“The Psychological Effects of Living with a Single Parent”). These alternate ways of dealing with the problems teens may be having at home with their single parents can become addictions or habits that can be apart of their lives forever. Horn and Bush share that, “Seventy percent of long-term prison inmates grew up in broken homes” (“Children Divorce Statistics”). This statistic supports the claim that alternate ways of coping can lead to serious consequences. A child may find themselves blaming oneself for living with a single parent or blame a parent. They might also begin to have resentment towards others who may have a more complete home life (Roland). Resentment and blame can turn into more serious problems like depression. Crime, alcohol and drug abuse, depression, resentment and blame are all direct effects of living in a single parent

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