Divorce And The Effects On Child Development

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.

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 Effects of Divorce on Children Based on the Application of the Psychological Developmental Theories

In the introduction to the article, the authors David Gately and Andrew Schwebel best wrote “Karl Zinsmeister uses studies of children and divorce to argue against the contention made by many parents that it is better to divorce than to rear children in a marriage with conflict. He maintains that children’s sense of stability and family structure supersedes parental needs.” Throughout the article Zinsmeister uses the headings “Fear and Loathing of Divorce Among the Young”, “Short and Long-Term effects of Divorce on Children”, and “A Catalogue of Behavioral Changes” as a platform to prove/explain his opinions and back them by research.

The first three years of a child 's life are the most significant for growth and development, both mentally and physically. Young children perceive situations and events that occur in their environment differently depending on their developmental stage. Urie Bronfenbrenner is a psychologist that came up with the Ecological Systems Theory which is a modern theory of development. The Ecological Systems Theory was created into a model that has multiple system levels. The first level that directly impacts a child the most is called the microsystem and this system consists of family, peers, school, and health services. Divorce is being seen more often in society today and is happening earlier. Divorce can be very traumatic to a child even if the divorce was mutual and as peaceful as possible; imagine if it was a bad divorce? This puts stress and anxiety on young children and can affect their development. More and more studies are being conducted in the last thirty years showing the negative effects divorce has on young children. The more we find out exactly how and why it affects children so greatly we can come up with recommendations and strategies to help deal with it in a way that will not hinder the child 's development. This paper will connect the modern day developmental perspective with studies that have shown

As divorce separates families, this situation can cause financial hardship on divorce families as each household transition from two incomes to one. This reduced income can place economic and financial struggles of single parents trying to support children. Separated parents are now each responsible for individual housing, utilities, and various other expenses. With divorce, there are high legal fees that result from the divorce proceedings and custody battles over children. These economical issues can place additional stress on the families and children.

Couples who decide to divorce from one another often do so simply because of irreconcilable differences in their marriages. Those who have children may feel pressure to stay together and keep face for the sake of their young. Santrock questions whether or not parents should, in fact, stay married to suffice their children’s lives. The quality of parenting in an unhappy marriage is a key factor in breaking this issue apart. On one side, children may see unhealthy qualities of a relationship that may affect the way they view social relationships amongst their peers and later in their intimate relationships. On the other hand, some families find balances between handling things like income and housing and can make the newly

     Furthermore, assumptions about divorce may be primarily be connected to the idea that happy homes create happy children whereas, unhappy, separated homes create the children to have problems. Moreover, what should be taken into account is that children learn what they live and that parents are role models. Not only do parents create the ideal of a good work ethic, skills, communication, logic but also commitment. In relation, the cycle of abuse also may be taught to a child. If a child sees abuse in the home he or she is more likely to exhibit the same actions compared to children from non - violent environments. Parents are still the bearers of large responsibilities according to their children and cannot just blame it on the media any longer. Although divorce is seen by many Americans as an unfortunate ending to a chapter in life, many still make the choice.

Each year as families are progressing to be built there are more familes decreasing. The online database “The Effects of Divorce In America” connects to how many children will grow to see there parents divorce before the age of 18. “Mounting evidence in social science journals demonstrates that the devastating physical, emotional, and financial effects that divorce is having on these children will last well into adulthood and affect future generations”. This problem that is occurring with children being involved in divorces is causing the world to be kept at a low with violence and education. Which is allowing behavioral effects and the rate of divorces to be kept at a high. With the lowering of children having families also only “42 percent of children aged 14 to 18 live in a “First Marriage” family”. Having such high rates with divorces, child influence is a major factor when separating.

For couples with children divorce can wreak havoc on family relations. The behavior of children can change rapidly, in Cherlin (1993) it has been stated that, “children whose parents separated or divorced displayed more behavior problems and performed more poorly in school than children whose parents remained married” (para. 3). It is important to note that each child is affected differently and relationships with parents will not always be bitter (Cherlin, 1993). The personal source is a friend of many years whose parents divorced when she was very young. Her brother was also very young at the time of the divorce; each of them as male and female reacted differently to the divorce, just as it has been seen in many studies (Alex Pringle, Personal Communication, May 10,

Divorce has become very popular in the United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, on average 50% of marriages result in a failed marriage. This percentage has been at it’s all time high. Not many couples have sustained a successful marriage in present days. Divorces have been around for a long time, and unfortunately kids have always been affected the most according to their age.

Harvey and Fine say, in their book on the effects of divorce on children, that divorce has increased at a “contagious rate since 1980.” They argue that divorce in America is a “cultural burden of vast proportions,” and insist that the “pain extends beyond the persons who dissolve their relationships to children, parents, and dear friends.” Harvey and Fine

These are kids from married couples living in delightful homes possessing numerous characteristics of the homes of split parents. This scenery may support the theory of the higher divorce rate among children of divorced parents. They are children of modern couples’ homes which are similar in many aspects to children of divorced couples’ homes; absent parents. If a kid has lived most of his maturing life cherished by school teachers and a nanny at home and only rare quality time with mom and dad at the end of the day when they are exhausted and eagle for a rest, those kids in such little time will have little to absorb from their parents’ culture, values and traditions. They may not be children of a hundred percent divorced parents, but they are having a life, or perhaps a semi-life, of a semi-broken family. Back in the 30s when a pure homemaker-mom was not a relic, and divorce rates were at five and a half percent versus fifty percent today, people were happier, at least that what they said.

Children coping with parent’s dissolution have more problem adjusting to life events: “Research on interparental conflict and child adjustment” has shown that parental conflicts that are overt, intense, and child related are more strongly associated with child maladjustment than conflicts that are less evident (covert), intense, and not child related” (Davies & Cummings, 2006; Grych & Fincham, 1990). In a long term consequence, there are chances that they, when growing up, do not believe in marriage, and the risk of them getting divorced is higher than children from an intact family. Children from a divorced family witness interparental conflicts frequently, which shapes their pessimism that marriage problem is unsolvable as well as divorce is easier and acceptable (Cui, Fincham, & Pasley, 2008; Segrin, Taylor, & Altman, 2005). As a relationship is not always about love but it is also about frustration, disappointments and arguments, without patience and efforts from both partners, the connection will not stay strong and healthy. This motivates them to give up a relationship easily, rather than putting effort to work it out. They tend to commit less to their partner. This pattern in adolescent/ young adulthood can predict their rough marriage in the future.

Divorce is the best option when it comes to the prosperity of the children that are in conflicted homes. Divorce is associated with multiple negative outcomes on a child, however it can be highly beneficial for a family. Conditions such as abuse, infidelity, lifestyle differences, financial problems, and inadequate communication can be the cause of divorce. Families should not avoid divorce entirely because society believes that intact families are more stable and valuable. Staying in a commiserable relationship can be toxic for the entire family. Divorce aids in the long term well-being of a child’s mental and emotional health, despite the troublesome adjustments that comes along with it. Children benefit greatly from the separation of feuding parents, allowing them to prosper in every aspect of their life. Parents also benefit from divorce because they have the opportunity to co-parent their child without the conflict in their homes. Divorce can be seen as an outlet in areas of emotional relief, the teaching of valuable relationships, and a chance for beneficial bonding between children and their parents.