• In most cases, the child has to change the geographical settings, schools, friends, teachers and fellow students.
• They are unable to deal with the emotional trauma that is brought about by the divorce, and they do not know whom to turn to because of the divorce, which makes them angry, depressed, and at times develop an aggressive nature (Brown, 2010).
Research shows that children suffer emotional trauma in the event that there parents’ divorce. According to Steven Earll who is a licensed counselor and therapist, he states that; “Children (and adult children) have the attitude that their parents should be able to work through and solve any issue. Parents, who have given the children life, are perceived by the children as very competent
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APPENDICES
APPENDIX 1:
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. Does the divorce of
As we stated earlier, age is not a safeguard to the effects of divorce (Oppawsky 2). While adults may be more able to understand their feelings and seek the support they need, they are still subjected to the emotional and mental consequences of their parents’ divorce. In Wallerstein and Lewis’ study on the “Legacy of Divorce” many of the adult children recalled their own feelings of shock and unhappiness at the time of the separation and it’s aftermath. Almost all remembered feelings of loneliness, bewilderment, and anger at their parents. Many cried as they recounted their history and their childhood fears that would be forgotten by their preoccupied parents. Some even claimed that their childhood ended when their parents separated. When these children reached young adulthood and when love, sexual intimacy, commitment, and marriage took center stage, many of them were haunted by the ghosts of their parents’ divorce and were frightened that the same fate awaited them. They feared their own commitment (Wallerstein and Lewis 359-360). In fact, children of divorced homes are more likely to experience marital instability and a slight elevation in their own divorce rates. Many of the parental divorced children also found that their parent’s actions were actually causing problems amongst their own children. They often felt lost
Divorce is one of many controversial subjects in family and human development research. What inspired me to critically analyze the article “Does Divorce Create Long-Term Negative Effects for Children?” is the challenge it would be for me to put my bias aside considering I am from a divorced home. After reading the article and analyzing it over and over, I can’t help but think that the writer answering “YES” to this controversial question overlooked many variables and over generalized his findings and research. With Zinsmeister overgeneralizing his research, not considering enough alternate explanations for long-term negative effects divorce, and his lack of relevant information needed to assess reliability and validity are why I find this article to be insightful but not accurate and hope to show why.
Amato, Paul R, and Alan Booth. “A Prospective Study of Divorce and Parent-Child Relationships.” Journal of Marriage and Family 58.2 (1996): 356–365. Web. 5 Nov. 2016.
The scholarly article “The Long-Term Effects of Divorce on Children: A Review,” by Judith S. Wallerstein, explores various studies conducted by psychologists over a twenty year span, about the long term social and psychosocial difficulties experienced by children of divorce. The majority of the research for this particular topic discusses how the problems for these children began long before the actual separation of the parents, a theory that had not been previously researched in full until these studies. After reading the article, it is evident, that often the divorce itself is the last resort of the quarrelling parents. By waiting several years before finally breaking off the failed marriage the parents are unintentionally
Divorce is a heavy concept that has many implications for those involved. The situation becomes even more consequential when children are considered. As divorce has become more commonplace in society, millions of children are affected by the separation of the nuclear family. How far-reaching are these effects? And is there a time when divorce is beneficial to the lives of the children? This paper will examine some of the major research and several different perspectives regarding the outcomes of divorce for the children involved, and whether it can actually be in the best interest of the kids.
Divorce causes many problems for children and has many implications. Psychological implications include mental health problems and behavioral problems. Social roles are turned inside out and upside down. Children are often pulled in many directions. In the United States divorce is very common and often leaves children confused and without options. Many turn toward violence, crime, drugs, and isolation. Studies show how adults can reduce the tension for these children. Other
Divorce has many factors that can affect the development of a child and the path leading up to that child’s adulthood. In most cases, the children
A comprehensive review of research from several disciplines regarding long-term effects of divorce on children yields a growing consensus that significant numbers of children suffer for many years from psychological and social difficulties associated with continuing and/or new stresses within the post divorce family and experience heightened anxiety in forming enduring attachments at later developmental stages including young adulthood. Different conceptual models in the field are explicated. Major lacunac in research, particularly around issues of public policy, are identified. The critical importance of expanding clinical research to enhance understanding of the child's perspective and experience is proposed.
Amato, Paul R. "The Consequences of Divorce for Adults and Children." Journal of Marriage and the Family 62.4 (2000): 1269-87.
This paper explains how children of all ages have different effects due to the divorce of their parents. Divorce has many effects according to the age of children, the gender, and temperament of children. According to (Lucas, 2014, 54) “Exposure to parental conflict may also explain poor child mental health after parental separation”. Children who get caught up in their parent’s divorce are likely to suffer more stresses than those children who aren’t involved. Children of parents who get a divorce endure more suffering than the parents. Children become less social, less interested in school/activates, and have greater chances of becoming depressed. This paper shows the many effects divorce has on children no matter what the age.
With the large and growing number of divorce rates, research is now discussing the effects it has on the children of divorced parents. Now divorce does not just impact the individuals going through it, but their children as well. Not only do children have to live with one or the other parent, have shared
These include academic deterioration, antisocial and delinquent behaviors, anxiety, low self-esteem, and depression. Early promiscuity, relationship difficulties, and illicit drug use are also noted. Other studies correlate resiliency in adulthood as one product of living in a conflictual family system”(Rich et al., 2007 p.164). The effects of divorce vary depending on the situation and the child. “Hess and Camara found that many children of divorce suffer severe emotional consequences such as depression, anger, anxiety, and withdrawal, any of which, if prolonged, can have a negative impact on the child’s overall emotional development. It is also reported adjustment problems in the area of cognitive, emotional, and social development among children of divorce as well. In addition, parental separation has been found to be particularly stressful for adolescents”(Bornstein and Walters, 1988 p.248).
Divorce is the act by which a valid marriage is dissolved, usually freeing the parties involved to remarry… (Encyclopædia Britannica, 2013). A divorce generally has a negative association with children and brings about a massive change in the life of any child regardless of his or her age. The stress of commuting back and forth between households, the consistent absence of one parent while staying with the other and seeing the loss of love and commitment between them can be something quite devastating. Researchers have also shown that children of divorce have a disadvantage when it comes to many of life outcomes when compared to children with married biological parents (Kim, 2011).
This paper explains the factors of parental divorce that have the greatest impact on young adults, including social support, parental involvement, and the ability of the divorced parents to co-parent. The information in this paper are based on research of three professional journals and one article from a website. Several studies indicate that young adults have better post-divorce outcomes if there is continued social support, continued quality involvement between parents and children, and if the divorced parents are able to have a quality co-parenting relationship.
The ongoing debate on how harmful divorce can be on children has long existed since the mid 1900s. Before the increase in divorce rates, a social stigma was associated with the term. Many people related the term divorce to the image of a “broken” home. The term “broken” home led many people to believe that children who lived in these circumstances were surrounded by a negative environment creating psychological and behavioral problems. This paper will examine whether children of divorced parents experience more difficulties in their psychosocial well-being and academic achievement than their peers from non-divorced families. In addition, I will also examine the children's ages, younger children (elementary school) and older children (middle school-adolescence), and their gender to determine if these factors play a role in their well-being. After carefully analyzing the effects parental divorce has on children I will introduce a list of intervention methods used to assist parents and children cope with new transitions.