Depression and Anxiety in Persons with Divorced Parents In the recent years, divorce rates have been continually trending upwards (Reiter, Hjorleifsson, Breidablik, & Meland, 2013). It is factual that children who have parents that have divorced typically face more obstacles in numerous aspects of life than children who have married parents. Children that experience divorce have up to a 300% increase in probability to be impacted by issues in mental wellbeing than their peers without an incident of divorce in their parental structure (Shifflett & Cummings, 1999). These issues can arise due to the various conflicts that may come into play throughout the divorce process, or even the mere experience of parental divorce for the child. The …show more content…
Whether moderate or severe, divorce serves long-term contributions to depression and anxiety in children regardless of age (Chase-Lansdale, Cherlin, & Kiernan, 1995).
Mental and Emotional Adjustment in Divorce with Age Numerous factors come into play pertaining to the age of a child that undergoes the experience of parental divorce. As time passes, most research states that both anxiety and depression impact children of divorce rather steadily. However, even after adjusting, these emotional impacts are extremely consistent throughout the progression of life (Størksen et al., 2005). Due to the inability to cognitively process and identify reasons that lead to divorce, kids around the pre-kindergarten age range are naïve to the situation. Around this age, children depend on parental support in daily life to carry out tasks. This alteration of family structure will impact smaller children more than older children, as the older child will have more outlets to channel their mental tension (Reiter et al., 2013). According to data, children may not adjust well emotionally and display bouts of anxiety, which may develop into depression at later ages (Kline, Johnston, & Tschann, 1991; Vousoura, Verdeli, Warner, Wickramaratne, &
Watching parents take a home from a traditional family lifestyle to a "broken" home by getting a divorce is very devastating to a child's mental well-being. As Judith Seltzer notes, "Recent reviews summarize evidence that children are emotionally
The impact of divorce on children has been associated with lower academic scores, behavioral difficulties, and depression. Therefore, it is important to make compromises that benefit the
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
The statistics for divorce in the 1990's suggest that nearly sixty percent of marriages end in divorce. Given this startling figure, the assumption can be made that many children will experience some effects caused by the life-changing event called divorce. What is it exactly about divorce that causes negative consequences for these children? In what ways will these children be effected? Will these effects show outwardly? I will attempt to uncover some of the complexities surrounding these psychological questions in the following text. The unsettling fact is: young children of divorced parents face great psychological challenges due to the environmental conditions and changes associated with divorce (Wolchik and Karoly 45).
Divorce may affect young children somewhat differently than older children. According to Karen DeBord, a child development specialist, there are different stages in childhood, and at each of these stages children have a different understanding of divorce. At the infancy stage children are not capable of understanding the conflict, but may notice a difference in the parents' disposition (DeBord, 1997). Here she states that children may react with a loss of appetite, upset stomach, or anxiety. As a toddler they recognize the loss a parent but cannot reason
In the contrary, another longitudinal study took place across two decades with a cohort of preschoolers (4 years old) whose parents had been separated between 12-18 months. They were assessed again two years later (age 6) and then follow-ups occurred at 10, 16 and 24 years of age. The sample was expanded at each assessment and ended up including divorced, non-divorced and remarried individuals among 450 families. The most significant finding of the study was that 75% of the children were able to positively adjust between 2 – 6 years post divorce, while 25% still struggled with psychosocial problems for decades (Zimiles, 2004).
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 custody, or various other living arrangements that may change, but their entire life that they knew changes. Research is
However, this is not the reality of our times. McConville (2013) states 41-50% of first marriages end in divorce in the United States. The affect the divorce has on the child is dictated by how the parents maneuver through the transition. Potter (2010) states that elementary and high school students both display poorer psychosocial well-being versus children from non-divorced families (pg. 933). Adolescents face many struggles and challenges throughout this developmental stage. Being a child of divorced parents can heighten stress and anxiety leading to depressive symptoms. To avoid and or decrease this instance, adolescents affected by divorce can benefit heavily through group counseling with others facing identical
Have you ever wondered how divorce affects children and their coping process when they only have one full-time parent? Divorce is a significant stressor for a child when growing up and it can cause certain mental health problems for them. Most often the child would stay with the mother and therefore making her the full time parent. Due to divorce, sometimes the way the child is disciplined or the quality of care changes for the child, therefore the child needs to cope with this new change. So the question is whether “intervention-induced changes in mother-child relationship quality and discipline led to short term and long term changes in children’s coping processes?” (Pg. 244, Velez, Wolchik, Tein, & Sandler, 2011) This question brought about
Many countries have conducted research studies concerning how separation and divorce affects children and young adults in cognitive development. It is mutually agreed that over all, children and young adults are recommended to have both parents present while raising the younger generation. This reinforces certain rules and regulations to stay with the child. If children are not raised with the basic principle of “It takes two”, they will most likely develop relationship problems themselves, unable to commit to one person or another, thus leading to depressive tendencies thinking that no one understand or likes them. This research study will enlighten this shadowy area and further worldwide research on cognitive development through the ages. Participants will be paid $5 (USD) upon completion of a written questionnaire survey and/or $10 (USD) upon a face-to-face interview followed by a test like survey. Hopefully, some archival papers may provide some guidance as to how to format final questionnaires and present the final information.
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).
Children need intact families to flourish. It is hard to imagine that if the family is torn apart, a child can simply adjust to a new situation, home, step-parent, siblings, and entire change of life as they know it without suffering significant effects upon their mental health and development lacks. Despite voices that serve to minimize the effects of divorce on children, this paper will show that the negative effects upon their mental health and development are such that the best solution is to avoid divorce all together. According to Stinson and Jones, “well-being on the road to adulthood for both children and teens hinges on family relationships.”
Divorce and its effects on children are common issues that are on the rise in the world today. Divorce affects more than just the married couple. Children often bear the brunt of divorce, which makes divorce a complicated decision for most parents. Understanding the effects divorce has on a child is important to know exactly why a child acts a certain way. A divorce can affect a child psychologically, intellectually, and even behaviorally. Children can suffer physiologically from things like depression, intellectually by having trouble in school and behaviorally by having trouble in social settings. Legally, a divorce is a single event, but from a psychological standpoint, it is a complicated,
In the last 25 years, divorce has become a major issue in American society. Since the turn of the century, the divorce rate has held steady between 4.0-3.2 divorces per 1000 people per year (National Vital Statistics System, 2015). With this rising divorce rate, more children are living between parents, or in single family homes, and many of these children have been exposed to altercations between parents, as well as rough custody battles and divorce settlements. Traumatic experiences like these are highly likely to stick with children of divorce throughout their life, especially if the child is older at the time of the divorce.
Divorce is a plague that is destroying numerous families across the United States of America. Sadly, when husbands and wives divorce, the children are often caught directly in the middle. Throughout the years divorce has been becoming more and more common. In the 1920's it was a rare find to know a person whom had been divorced, today it is a rarity not to know of one who has been, or will be divorced. Divorce has numerous effects on the structures of families, and many devastating effects on the children that must experience it, although sometimes necessary, divorce radically changes the lives of adolescents and adults alike.