Divorce Negative Effects

Divorce is not only difficult for parents, but even more difficult for the children. It can hit hard and fast but can also be built up from long term damage and stress on the marriage. Children can view their parent’s divorce in multiple ways. They can visually see it, or they can hear it. Children may also not view the divorce at all. Divorce can be sudden, confusing, and hidden. It can be a quick and relieving process, or it could be slow and painful. The relationship could be fought for night after night with little progress being made. The marriage could be fought verbally or even physically. Hurtful words are thrown to bring an end to the relationship and caring words are thrown to keep the marriage alive.

Divorce is one of the most common happenings in the world experienced by children. Most children go through different adjustments to become comfortable with the fact that their parents are not together anymore. Children of divorced parents are prone to lifelong effects. Seventy-five to eighty percent of children have divorced parents and twenty-five percent of those children have serious social, emotional, or psychological problems for the rest of their life. Most adults think that it is best for parents to stay together for the sake of their child because having two parents in different households can become difficult for the child socially and academically.

Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=PPPC&sw=w&u=oakv28633&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA14710446&asid=7ab637047d6fda8554d9590a67f5b3b3 This article explains how does divorce effect children in numerous negative ways. In general fifty percent of marriages ends up in divorce and no matter what the case is, children always need and want both parents. Children often feel like they are no longer being wanted by their parents or children feel that maybe they are the cause of their parents getting a divorce. They often feel rejected.

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).

Over 60 percent of couples seeking a divorce have children still living at home. ( 6) What some parents don't realize when they file for a divorce is the damage and effect that it will have on their kids. Divorce affects children in many ways. It affects kids emotionally and causes them to experience painful feelings such as fear, loss, anger and confusion. Divorce also hurts a child's academic achievement. Children whose parents divorce generally have poorer scores on tests and a higher dropout rate. (3)

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

Most researchers look at how children react and are effected when they experience parental divorce. Divorce is looked at as something “bad” for everyone who is effected by the situation. Divorce in the United States has the highest rate in the world. Over one million people a year get divorced and sixty percent of those divorces effect children (article 2). At the time of the divorce it seems like a horrible experience but, people never think about what would happen if the marriage stayed the way it was. Couples get divorced for many different reasons it could be because there was abuse, fighting, cheating and even if the couple was just no longer in love. “Children appear to be better off in cases in which the divorce substantially reduces

Divorce can have a huge effect on a child. Divorce is a long process that can affect a child for a period of years. Most children are affected by divorce but the process can be generally more difficult for boys. According to Hetherington and Stanley- Hagan (1999) most children are resilient enough to adapt to their parent divorce after a period of time has passed. The main facotrs of divorce that can affect a child are, how often they see the non- custodial parent, the lifestyle or financial implications of being part of a single parent family and if one or both parents remarry, this can cause a massive difference in family life due to the child having to come to terms with their new

Divorce is comparable to an epidemic since it has been filtering through many societies at an increasingly alarming rate. According to the most current statistic, there are more than 2.1 million marriages in the United States (“Children of Divorced Parents”). Out of those, almost half end in divorce. Divorce nowadays is extremely common. In fact, in America there is one divorce every thirty-six seconds (National Marriage and Divorce Rate Trends”). Each year over a million American children suffer from the divorce of their parents (Amato 24-26). Even though it might be shown to benefit some individuals in their own personal case, for the majority it causes a decrease in an individual’s life and puts many people “on a downward trajectory from which they might never fully recover” (Amato). Over long term, the United States divorce rate has been on a rise since 1980, which means more children being affected (Macionis). These children that are affected are faced by emotions of anger, confusion and even fear. These emotions affect their academic performance, social interactions, behavior, self-esteem and other negative effects. This literature review is important in calling attention on the current research studying impacts of divorce on children. The topic of divorce is a wide-ranging topic. However, this particular literature review focuses only on the effects that divorce has on children. The data presented in this paper is collected from

Divorce has many victims; they do not fall under a specific category and do not target a specific gender, age, race, or ethnicity. The effect of divorce on children differs from the effect on the spouses. The reasons for divorce are endless; they have many side effects on the spouses but most importantly affect the children. Divorce is one of the main reasons for disruption in our communities. Regardless of the reason, divorce always harms the children’s decisions, personalities, and futures.

According to the Encyclopedia of Psychology, one half of all marriages in the United States end in divorce. With these one million children are affected each year. Eighty five percent of these children live in single parent households, with the mother being the head of the house. The father is usually distant or does not speak to the children at all. These children are highly affected and experience a great deal of emotional and academic problems. Especially when you compare them to children with non-divorced parents. During adolescence, these children have twice as high as a rate of dropping out of high school, having teenage pregnancy, and experiencing deliquiate behavior. I am not a child of divorce, but a child dear to me is. I have seen firsthand the emotional tear that it can play into a child’s life, and the way it affects a family. Divorce may cause children to grow up anxious and scared. Children may even ask themselves “why me?”, “what can I do?”, and “where should I go from here?”.

Through the emotional, spiritual, and psychological effects children experience during a divorce, spiritual distress and uncertainty, fears of commitment and abandonment, and disassociation from relationships manifest themselves in these children. Approximately one million children experience a parental divorce every year (Warner et al), experiencing a variety of positive and negative consequences. Since divorce causes the couples’ pain, they may become absorbed with their own problems, though they continue to be the most significant characters in their children’s lives (“Divorce and Children”). Through the lens of divorce, the journey of maturity acquires a distinct difference in experiences.

The trauma of divorce brings confusion and struggle to children. Toddlers (2-4yrs) responses to divorce is regression, dependency increases, passivity in some. Yong children (5-8yrs) responses to divorce is regression, guilt, abandonment fears, sadness and fantasy. Old children (9-12) responses to divorce is anger, alienation, disappointment, spiritual disillusionment. Teens (13-19yrs) responses to divorce is resentment, fear, withdrawal, depression, loyalty issues, emotionally drained, peace-keeping. The traumatic long-term effects of divorce may spill over into every aspect of a child’s life including: physical, mental and emotional health issues, learning disabilities, social/relationship problems, drug abuse and addiction,

Divorce can have a long lasting impact on everyone involved, but most often, it is the children who suffer this dramatic change the most. When a couple decides to divorce, there are considerations that are made during the process, however, most often, the lifelong effects of the divorce on children is underestimated. Children undergo severe psychological, emotional, and mental trauma during a divorce process. This is due to the immense changes of lifestyle and households that can seem overwhelming to a child.

Depression is another concern for children who have experienced divorce. Children are more likely to suffer from depression if their parents are split than if they are still together (Fox 2001). Depression affects the way a child acts in daily life. Children from divorced houses are more likely to suffer from some form of depression or another than those from married families (Doherty et al. 1989, as cited in Fox 2001). Fox 2001 studies the effect divorce has on children by a survey given to 118 students ranging in ages 18-25. The survey includes True of False questions on their ?attitudes, opinions, interests, and other characteristics regarding the divorce that affected them (Fox 2001).? This study found that 26% of the students surveyed needed some kind of counseling regarding depression post divorce (Fox 2001). Separation of parents can have extremely harmful and lasting affects involving depression. Divorce negatively affects a child?s psyche and makes them more depressed.