“Till death do us part” is an extremely familiar phrase that is commonly associated with marriage. It is a phrase that comes from the marriage liturgy in the Book of Common Prayer. Despite that many couples agree to remain with their partner until death when they say the words “I do”, many marriages will end with divorce instead of death. This paper is devoted to the issue of single parenting and the destruction of divorce. It is a study conducted in a different perspective where we see the cognitive and emotional damage it can do to a child and a single parent. The definition of a single parent is one individual with custody over a child and he or she is responsible for all financial, material and emotional needs.
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This loss of the bond between parent and child is due to the stress and differing emotions that come from a divorce. It does not matter if the divorce was friendly; children are affected by it, no matter what their age or what the situation is (Daatland 2007).
Divorce introduces a massive change in the life of a boy or girl no matter what the age. Witnessing loss of love between parents, having parents break their marriage commitment, adjusting to going back and forth between two different households, and the daily absence of one parent while living with the other, all create a challenging new family circumstance in which to live. In the personal history of the boy or girl, a parental divorce is a watershed event. A life that follows is significantly changed from how life was before. Statistical studies indicate that children of divorce are more likely to divorce (Coontz). Children grow up being cautious about trusting others because of dramatic effect divorce caused in their life.
Single parenting faces an enormous challenge. Often, a custodial parent must fulfill the roles of a father and mom without the benefit of one or the other. It is difficult to maintain these roles all while working long hours and discipline a child to his or her best behavior "Single mothers have the highest rates of poverty across all demographic groups," according to the Help guide website. Many times, children raised in single-parent homes suffer more severe health problems when the
Additionally, a single parent collects a much smaller income which in turn leads to fewer opportunities for vital necessities such as education. Trying to make ends meet takes away time from the most important thing in a parents life, their children. Children as a result have higher chances of drug or alcohol abuse, higher dropout rates as well as an increased risk of early pregnancy (Amato). There are too many children who are growing up in single parent homes in the United States, resulting in these kids not growing up in an optimal way where they could become influential members of society in the future.
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.
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 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
When it comes to divorce, it is common for children to be mixed up in the middle of things. In 1981 somewhere around 1.2 million kids were affected by divorce. Divorce causes major disruption within the family (Peck). When divorce begins to erupt the whole family, especially the children, is thrown off track. Many routines become estranged as the parents begin to divide households and divide the time spent with children. Other times one parent may move out, more commonly the father, and not see the kids at all. This can put a huge financial and responsibility burden on the remaining parent. Which
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?”.
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,
Marriage is a life long religious sacrament recognized by God between two people who love each other. This amalgamation is a representation of an unspoken eternity of love and commitment. All too often the pressures of marriage prove to be too tedious resulting in a devastating marital collapse and ultimately a bitter divorce. Over a million children have seen their parents divorce every year since 1972 (London). Events that transpire during the separation process create a nocuous environment for the children involved. Divorce is controversial because it negates the vows that are held to a high regard in Gods name. The opposition of divorce stems from the detrimental effects the separation can have on a child’s mental state, emotional stability
In today 's society, divorce or remarriage rate has been growing rapidly. Divorces is a legal action between married people that is on longer together. Over the last twenty-five years, several studies has indicated that divorce process may affect family characteristics and most especially children 's cognitive performance. Divorce changes children 's lives through parental emotion and behavior. Divorce may also increase the risk of negative outcomes for younger and older children. Children from infant and toddler are less likely to be affected by divorce because is a early development stage (Leon, 2003). The purpose of this study is to better understand how parental divorces affects a child 's development, how children transition from living with both parent or divorces single parent and also.studies, how divorce could influence a child 's behavior, emotions, a child academic and their future relationships. Between young children and older children who react or adjust more to parental divorce.My hypothesis is to see divorce effect a child 's cognitive, emotional and psychological aspect class or at home.
In modern time, divorce is something that is gradually becoming more popular throughout America’s society. Healthy marriages are not only beneficial for a married couple but also for the children as growing up in a happy home protects children from mental, physical, educational and social problems (“Marriage and divorce”). There are numerous findings that point to the negative effects that divorce can have on a child’s life. Divorce has been shown to cause emotional and psychological strain for a young person. Specifically, children often experience heightened feelings of abandonment and isolation after a parental separation. Another aspect of divorce that has been shown to impact adolescents is a decline in schoolwork. Children also experience
The rising numbers of divorce in the United States has reached an all time high of about 1,250,00 divorces per year; furthermore, two out of every five children will experience the divorce of their parents before they reach the age of 18 (“Long”). Many factors will determine how much your child would be affected by the separation. A child 's awareness of divorce will be mainly determined by age and gender, as well as the child’s history of stress and the ability to cope with it. When the stressful events taking place begin to outweigh the child’s protective factors, even the most resilient child can develop problems. A growing list of information shows that certain factors will make some children more at risk for maladjustment than others (“Are”). The many factors include: the child’s age, ability to cope, nature of the divorce, and the amount of loving support and understanding that they
In the last two decades divorce has increased substantially leaving couples single and families broken. Divorce is the reality for many families as there is an increase in divorce rates, cohabitation rates, and the number of children raised in step and single marital families. Divorce cannot be overlooked as it negatively affects and impacts youngsters for the rest of their lives. Although it is the decision between two parents’s children are hurt the most in the process. The concept of divorce is extremely difficult for children to understand as there are many unanswered questions and uncertainties. “Will my mom or dad remarry and who will I live with?” are concerns children express while going through divorce. Many
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.