The Effects Of Social Support On Children

Parental divorce can result in devastating effects on children. These children suffer tremendous long-term consequences as a result of an event that is not their doing. This paper reviews literature and opinions concerning the long-term effects of divorce on adolescents. The paper outlines four major areas of interest: aggression as a result of parental conflict and the different types associated with boys and girls, depression in the lives of boys and girls in its various forms, the choice boys and girls make to marry or not later in life and the possibility of adolescents expressing parental alienation. The results of this

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.

If divorce is so painful, why do some children flourish academically? Why do others sound mature and logical when explaining their family situation? Why do others carry on as if nothing has happened? "The reactions a child exhibits will depend on the nature of the child (ego strength and capacity to mobilize resources), as well as his or her age and the relationship of the parents and child before, during, and after the divorce. Some of the initial reactions to divorce are similar to the reactions to the death of a loved one." It can be expected that a child going through such a traumatic event as divorce will experience a wide spectrum of emotions: sadness or depression, denial, embarrassment, anger, guilt, concern about being cared for, regression, maturity, and physical symptoms (Diamond 22-28).

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

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

There are many factors that influence divorce, such as adultery, financial strain, and just simply growing apart. Divorce has a huge impact on all of the parties that are involved, especially children. Children may end up in poverty situations as well as deal with a huge range of emotions. Through this group proposal, I will be looking more in depth at the behaviors that elementary school aged children may exhibit when dealing with divorce and how group counseling may help those young children deal more effectively with those behaviors.

Through out this discussion the reader has seen the effects of divorce on children. These effects are primarily shown in three areas of the childrens lives. These three areas are emotionally, physically, and

Many children will adjust to their parents ' divorce, but some will continue to have significant problems into adulthood. Parents ' sensitivity to their child 's needs is one of the most important factors in facilitating adjustment. Other factors such as the child 's age, gender and temperament will also influence how well the child adjusts. Preschoolers tend to be "emotionally needy," have fears related to abandonment, and may display acting-out behaviors following their parents ' divorce or separation. Preschooler are likely to become very distressed during visit exchanges. Boys and girls tend to react differently to their parents ' divorce. As a rule, girls tend to become anxious and withdrawn, while boys tend to become more aggressive and disobedient. Girls from divorced families may become sexually active earlier than girls from intact families. Interestingly, boys often adjust better when their mothers remarry, while girls have more difficulty. Children of divorced families tend to have long-term adjustment difficulties when there is ongoing conflict between their parents. Boys are likely to display marked behavior problems when this exists. Children 's adjustment is also determined by the amount of conflict the parents had before the divorce. Researchers have found that children in divorced families, where there is little conflict following the divorce, do not differ in adjustment than children from low conflict intact

In the Scientific American’s article “Is Divorce Bad for Children?” authors Hal Arkowitz and Scott Lilienfield discuss the short-term and long-term effects divorce has on a child’s well-being. The popular media article claims that children generally suffer negatively in the immediate aftermath of the separation but in the long run have few psychological differences from children of married parents as long as they continue to grow up in a stable environment. Short-term effects of divorce by examined by looking at the naturalistic observation of the University of Virginia. The study looks at children immediately post-divorce and see negative emotions like shock, anger, and confusion. However, the study also shows that these effects usually disappears

Children of bitter divorces can suffer tremendous outcomes. Yet not every single divorce is traumatic for a child. It is old news that children are better off with happy separated parents than unhappy married parents and divorce from a dangerous family member could mean safety and better times ahead. Though some situations can be traumatic for children of parents who are more than just an “unhappy” couple. Young children from toddler to elementary age can suffer from a myriad of psychological issues with messy divorces and violent

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

After a divorce, these adolescents experience the feeling of insecurity, and they have low esteem (Glenn & Kramer, 1985). In essence, the psychological being of those from happily married families is found to be higher as compared to that of young ones from divorced families. In addition to psychological effects, many studies have confirmed that there are long term effects. For example, adolescents from divorced families are likely to divorce when they grow to the age of becoming parents as related to those from intact families. Analysis of surveys have revealed several negative impacts that are long term on their psychological well-being, such things as: satisfaction, happiness and excitement during their adult developmental age (Glenn & Shelton,

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).

As mentioned above, a child’s health can be affected by a divorce on an emotional, physical, and psychological viewpoint. Because of this, their functionality within school and play can be affected. A child who is in elementary school can become withdrawn and struggle to stay attentive in school. These children can also show aggression towards others because of the defeat and anger about the divorce. If these children encounter such physical side effects, he or she can start to miss more school and fall behind in school activities as well (Benedek and Brown 1995). Studies also report that parents of divorce have lower educational expectations of their children. This is due in part to the parent being distracted by the divorce and establishing his or her own life and managing it without spousal support as before. The parent may become less involved in monitoring the schoolwork to be completed by the child or mistaken that the other parent has taken on this role. The overall supervision of school and social activities can be compromised of those children who are products of divorce (Rodriguez and Arnold 1998).

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,