The Impact of Divorce on Children

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.

Janet Shansky of Iona college wrote this intellectual article about some major theories within divorced families. These theories have the potential to explain the connection between parental divorce and negative outcomes for the children. These include, but are not limited to, the "marital disruption" theory, the "reduced resources" theory, and the "parental conflict" theory. Shansky takes a deep look at all of the research that went into these theories and how they explain the adverse effects of divorce on children. Another aspect of her article is how these significant theories can be put to use in intervening future students and children from having such a hard time with this major change in their life.

Children of divorce are numerous, the effects of their biological parents separation and subsequent divorce has lasting effects on their behavior, academics, and their emotions. No one seems to care about the prevalence of divorce in society today; it is no longer considered taboo.

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

Studies have shown temporary and long lasting effects mentally, physically and emotionally on children of divorce. As divorce rates continue to heighten, so does the likelihood that a child of divorced parents may have a larger risk of adjusting in the areas of psychological development, behavior,

A divorce of parents can lead children to have loss of knowledge, skills, and resources from parents. Those children with divorce of parentss are at risk of getting bad grades even dropping out school due to the fact that they have been alternating between their parents houses. When the children saw their father fighting against each other, they feel depressed and worthless. Gradually, the feeling of depression and worthlessness take them to the point where he or she just doesn’t care about school anymore. The high marks that he or she used to get in the past to impress his parent 's are not the same as the grades after divorce. The child reaches the level where getting a standard grade is not important anymore

Divorce in and of itself does not harm children; it is the intensity and duration of the conflict between parents that negatively impacts a children adjustment. After a divorce or separation, it isn’t uncommon for children to display some behavioral issues. A child acting out shouldn’t come as a complete surprise because after all, a divorce is a challenging obstacle for the entire family to go through. Behavioral issues in children of divorce can range from mild acting out to destructive behavior. Feelings of anger, confusion, frustration and sadness are all part of the roller coaster of emotions that a child may experience as a result of the events happening in their life. A child’s grades might begin to fall after a divorce. While this change is more common in older children and in boys than girls, it is a statistical probability. However, each child may handle their parent’s divorce a certain way than other children depending on many factors, especially age.

Divorce is a touchy subject for some people to discuss, although it is an issue that is occurring very often in people’s lives today. A divorce can affect everyone involved, including the children, unfortunately. Divorce and its effects set a bad example to children and their future lives as young adults, along with having life-long effects from the divorce because of things that they experienced during it. The different causes of a divorce have multiple effects on the children who are experiencing it, including problems that lead to psychological and emotional effects, behavioral issues, problems with school, and problems with future relationships.

Every person’s ‘process’ is different when it comes to when it begins and when it ends. Kalter proposed the argument that the “parameters of the divorce experience have been extended backward to include predivorce spousal tension and disharmony” (Kalter, 1987: 588). Strohschein had a similar argument stating that a process-oriented approach enables researchers to “discern more clearly how child mental health is uniquely affected by child and family characteristics that precede and predict marital dissolution” (Strohschein, 2005: 1298). Both authors made the point that any mental illness or other problems that a child exhibited after the divorce were most likely there before it. Strohschein found that significant differences already existed between households that remained intact and those that divorced. Even before the marriage ends, children whose parents end up getting a divorce exhibit higher levels of antisocial behavior, depression, and anxiety than children whose parents stay married. She stated that “children of divorce exhibit significantly more mental health problems in every wave than children whose parents remain married, making it clear that these problems exist well in advance of the divorce event” (Strohschein, 2005: 1298). Although she did extensive research on the topic, she has no authority to state that it was clear any mental health problems children face was present before the

Divorce can have a significant impact on the children involved in many different ways. Studies show that the effects of divorce on children can also continue throughout adulthood. These children are more likely to have failed marriages themselves, have children out of wedlock, and earn lower salaries. It is common for the depression of the parents and their relationship to pass on to their child. Children who grow up with depression symptoms are more likely to eventually experience divorce in their own marriage. Research also shows that teenagers who experience divorce are 50 percent more likely to abuse alcohol than those of “Two-parent homes”.

The author of the article The Effects of Divorce on Children: Married and Divorced Parents’ Perspectives has a Bachelors of Arts in psychology from San Diego University. She also has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Loma Linda University. (Faculty Profile) The publishing company is a group of renowned companies joined together to provide accurate scholarly information to the population. (Taylor and Francis)

Social scientists are becoming more concerned about how divorce effects children. Today, more than one out of four U.S families is a single-parent family and half of all children will become stepchildren. Our textbook states that 60 percent of divorces involve children but couples with children divorce less than couples without children. Children from a divorced family can suffer from interpersonal and psychological problems as well as emotional distress. Research by Heather Westberg, Thorana Nelson and Kathleen Piercy indicates that children’s reaction to divorce is influenced by how the news is delivered and is shaped by the perception that life at home will be better or worse afterward. Data collected over a 12 year period studied parent-child relationships before and after divorce showing that marital conflict may intensify children’s behavior problems making them

“Divorce isn’t a child's fault; I had a really good childhood up until I was nine, then a classic case of divorce really affected me”- Kurt Cobain. More than 30 years of research is continued to reveal the sides of divorce and the effects it has on children. The risks is steady rising, and just because you think that the effects won’t occur to your child the odds do greatly increase.

The rate of divorce and separation of parents around the world are increasingly high. The consequences are more likely to be destructive for children. The impact in the lives of these children are several levels. The child will need to go with one of his parents. This has more negative effects on young children than older children; however, this factor becomes more complex. In a follow-up study ten years with preschool children whose parents had divorced, Wallerstein found that the initial reaction to the divorce was more severe in young children, but that they, late the follow-up period, appeared to be more suitable than their older counterparts (Wallerstein, 1984). It concluded that very young children during the marriage breakup may be several

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,