Introduction 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. Compared to children of divorced families, children of non-divorced families are not exposed to custody battles, divorce settlements, etc. Children of intact families are less likely to be exposed to traumatic experiences at a young age, thus keeping their lives stable and secure, while children of divorce are more likely to have an unstable life moving forward. Because of this, children of divorce are more likely to latch onto abusive behaviors throughout adolescent years, such as drug abuse. Since 2000, the drug use rate in America has risen to the highest it’s ever been. In a survey done in 2009, 8.7 percent of people age 12 and up said that they used illegal substances within a month of taking the survey, a 9 percent increase since 2008 (Abuse, National Institute on Drug, 2010). This statistic alone is very concerning due to
in divorce. There is a lot of stress on all the people involved. The man has
America’s drug problem has increasingly become an epidemic. In a 2013 study done by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 24.6 million Americans, 9.4% of the population,
“It is easier to divorce my wife of 26 years than to fire someone I hired one week ago. The person I hire has more legal clout....than my wife of 26 years. That's wrong." --Judge Randall Hekman, President of the Michigan Family Forum
During the year 1960, only four million Americans had ever tried illegal narcotics; today that number has risen to 74 million (DEAMuseum). The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) concluded that over the past thirty days, more than 20 million Americans over the age of twelve have used illegal drugs (NCADD). As one of the top health-related problems facing the nation today, the prevalence of drug abuse in society strains the economy, health care system, criminal justice system, and poses a major threat to public safety. This is because once they are hooked on a particular drug; addicts will do whatever it takes to come into possession of more of it. To illustrate that point, a 2004 study conducted by the Department of Justice (DoJ)
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
Since the early 1960’s there have been an alarming increase in drug use in the United States in 1962, four million Americans had tried an illegal drug. By 1999, that number had risen to a staggering 88.7 million, according to the 1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse.
Many families in the United States have or know someone who has been through a divorce. The reason for this is because divorce has almost become a normal occurrence in our society. According to the textbook Marriages and Families, Diversity and Change Seventh Edition “1 million married couples in the United States divorce each year.” (M. Schwartz, B. Scott, 2012, p. 390) In early America divorce was almost non-existent, that is not the case in our recent day and age. Unfortunately, in today’s society there are many factors that have contributed destroying marriages, one example being social media. Sadly, the couple divorcing aren’t the only ones affected by divorce. “A recent student of 13 European countries, Canada, and the United States found that the divorce risk of children of divorced parents is on average about twice that of children of non-divorced parents.” (Hong, Galher, and Bernhardt. 2006) Even though divorce rates have continuously been rising we do have many resources available to help save marriages instead of just giving up on the entire sanctity that marriage is supposed to represent.
reduced. Women are more confident that they can survive alone without the support of a
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
Haley, A., & X, M. (1965). The autobiography of malcolm x. United States: Grove Press.
The image of the American family looks and functions very differently than families of the past few decades. Men and women raised in the 1950’s and 1960’s when programs such as “Ozzie and Harriet” and “Father Knows Best” epitomized the average family, are likely to find themselves in situations that have changed dramatically. Research claims that many family structures are common: single-parent families, remarried couples, unmarried couples, step families, foster families, multi-generational families, extended families, and the doubling up of two families within the same home. Marriage, divorce, and patterns of childbirth are some of the
Divorce laws in the United States are significantly more lenient today than they were many years ago, especially during that of the WWII era. A marriage defined by Merriam-Webster is a legally sanctioned contract between a man and a woman to be together for life. This definition is not so far from that of the religious definition of marriage. From a religious stand point, however depending on your specific religion, marriage is meant to be a union of a forever relationship even through eternity. Though both the dictionary and religious definitions of a marriage seem similar enough and straight forward enough to understand for those who are willing to take that forever leap into an eternal bond there are those who depend on the easier
So you 're living the american dream , you have a perfect house , a perfect car , two perfect children and then like the majority of americans the trend of divorce hits your family . Divorce is a daunting word ,it causes heartbreaking change and pain to everyone involved . Many would agree its a child nightmare seeing their two parents separate . Who could think that one single event could carry such importance on a child 's life .Children of divorced parents are automatically put into a league of their own and statistics show there will be emotional , social and physical repercussions . The potential disadvantages that divorce can halt on child should not be exaggerated , as divorce can cause ; emotional , social , physical ,educational ,and sexual effects along with future problems with marriage .
We have too many people using drugs in our society today. “In 1996, 50.8% of high school seniors had used some illegal drug at some time during their life, 40.2% during the previous year, and 24.6% during the previous month.” This shows that at least half of the senior class in high schools use or have use
Divorce. How can that one word bring up such a wide range of emotions? That simple word to some may bring feelings of shame and disgust, while to others it can represent a fresh start and safety from a bad situation. While it would be easy to look at this topic and simply say that it is right or wrong all across the board, it feels inadequate. Every divorce is unique and specific to those within that relationship and could be caused by an array of reasons, so to offer a blanket statement felt insufficient. After looking at this topic in depth and seeing the effect that it can have on both those in the relationship and those around them, I was able to arrive at a conclusion. Divorce should never be a decision that is made rashly or out of convenience, and all other options should be exhausted before arriving at the decision to divorce, but there are some situations where unfortunately it may be the answer. While this may seem like a way to side-step the difficulty of taking a side, having this view actually requires us to get to know those who are struggling with this decision and to meet them where they are in order to offer genuine guidance.