The Effect Of Divorce On Children

Divorce is defined as the legal end of a marriage. But, it is more intricate than just the completion of a relationship. A common belief regarding divorce is that it entirely involves two parents. However, when a marriage ends in divorce, all individuals associated to the relationship, including children, are affected. As the number of divorces each year continues to increase, researchers have become more concerned with the effects divorce has on children.

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 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”.

Divorce not only affects the parents, but it also affects the child/children. The child whom is now part of a divorced family has to face a change in their life. It can undermine their child’s sense of security and stability, because the two people whom the child was the most dependent on are now being split up and are no longer living with one another and thus leading to separation of time spent with the child from each parent, regardless of the custody settlement that is reached. The foundation of the child’s world is damaged and changed. The best thing for a child who has divorced parents would be for the parents to not be hostile with one another and for both parents to spend shared and equal amount of time with the child. Also that both parents stay active in the child’s day-to-day life and routine. This means that there has to be good communication amongst the parents. If the child is raised in these conditions, then a divorce will not have a heavy effect on them and it can increase the potential for the child to develop a strong relationship with both parents. However, these conditions are extremely hard to meet if one of the parents decides to relocate. Relocation can be seen as a distance between the noncustodial/nonresidential parent and the custodial parent and child. When a divorced parent relocates, it makes it a lot harder for the non-relocating parent to see the child, if the child moves with the relocating parent. Not only does moving effect the

While divorce may reduce strain on a failing marriage, it may cause damaging effects on the children. Often times parents are too concerned on the marriage to notice the effects on children. From the way parents react in front of the children to new marriages all can directly affect the daily lives, and behavior of children. Though, there are ways to mitigate some of the issues that can come with divorce, possibly avoiding some of the effects all together.

Thinking about divorce? Before making any decisions, think about your child’s emotions toward your decision. Maybe that will change your mind. Every child is different, so every child will accept and adapt to a change like this differently. In this paper I will be discussing the impact of divorce on children, children’s adaptations to their situations, and finally, my journey through parents’ divorce.

Did you know the U.S Census Bureau found that forty-one percent of marriages end in divorce? Did you also know the divorce rate among couples with children is forty percent lower than couples without children. Sadly according to http://1.usa.gov/1dMPvI2, forty-three percent of children growing up in America today are being raised without their fathers. Seventy-five percent of children with divorced parents live with their mother. Twenty-eight percent of children living with a divorced parent live in a household with an income below the poverty line. Finally, half of all American children will witness the breakup of a parent’s marriage. Of these children, close to half will also see the break up of a parent 's second marriage.

During the last 50 years, the United States progressed immensely as a country, and the definition of a ‘family’ was altered several times to fit the need for the variations that started to exist. The rate of people marrying has been declining, and more people are postponing getting married. In addition, more marriages are terminated today due to divorce rather than death (Rasul, 2006 p. 30). Although an ancient tradition, divorce rates have been skyrocketing, and the current rates are virtually unprecedented in any industrial society. Many factors might lead to a divorce, and they include: conflicting cultural backgrounds, age differences, child presence, and many more (Schoen, 1975 p. 548). In this research paper, I will attempt to examine the effects of divorce on children, and try to examine how children learn to cope with life after divorce.

Divorce is a vastly common occurrence in American society today. Divorce not only harms the couple, but also the children that are involved. People who divorce are more likely to go to a lower economic class, including poverty or below poverty level. In the first 18 months following the divorce, between 77% and 83% of mothers with their children will live in poverty. (Vrouvas, n.d.) It also causes their children to have psychological problems along with stress that hinders their social and educational development. Children who observe a divorce between their parents are more likely to become abuse victims, have health problems, behavioral and emotional problems, become involved in crime and drugs or commit suicide than the children that are raised in two-parent homes. (Divorce, family, and society, 2013) The best ways to solve, or at least minimize, divorcing statistics are: marriage counseling, biblical or not (before as well as during marriage), communication between the children as well as both spouses, and to “forgive and forget”.

Divorce is a topic of much debate in the United States. “Till death do us apart”, is the famous vow that married couples promise one another as a sign of everlasting love. However, over the last few years we have seen an increase in divorce rates. If you look back to a few decades ago, divorce wasn’t as accepted by society. Nevertheless divorce has become more acceptable in today 's modern society in recent years. Many can argue that the negative consequences outweigh the benefits of divorce for those involved, especially the children that become victims. Majority can agree that due to the serious matter, divorce should not be taken lightly. Living in the United States allows people the freedom to make choices that are not always accepted well by society in other countries. Divorce can be a long and painful process for everyone involved, that is left with emotional and social consequences that take place throughout adulthood.

In today’s world, most people accept divorce or separation as a way of life. Parents are unaware or do not understand the damage it can have on their children. However, in some instances, it is better to get out of an abusive relationship because that can be as toxic as divorce. On average, 50% of children who are born with married parents, will experience divorce before the age of 18 (Children and Divorce & Baucom, 2010-2017). Along with divorce statistics, 40% of children in America are raised without a father being present (Children and Divorce & Baucom, 2010-2017). Children who are raised in broken homes are more likely to have health related problems, behavioral issues, and physical and emotional damage (Children and Divorce & Baucom,

The concept of divorce is entrenched in the very idea of marriage. The possibility of marriages breaking down has increased considerably with some statistics placing the rate at 50% of all marriages. Divorce is a legal term that represents the separation of two people who had previously entered into a marriage agreement. While the prevalence of divorce is astonishing, the effect these instances have on families is critical. Many of the people who are divorced have children, whom the divorce affects considerably. Divorce has various components and different perspectives offer varied insights into how and why divorce occurs.

Many times when people get a divorce they tend to not take into consideration about their kids, whether they are five, ten, or seventeen. They go along with the divorce not realizing that this poor child 's life is about to be turned upside down. Divorcing someone, while children are involved affects the way children develop to become adults. It can scare them, when they grow up to be parents one day, or they may even not want to be parents one day because all of the things they had to go through when their parents were getting a divorce. Kids absorb and acknowledge what is going on around them regardless of their age, which is why when divorces occur the atomosphy is very unsettle.

Divorce causes irreparable harm to all involved, but most especially to the children. Though it might be shown to benefit some individuals in some individual cases, over all it causes a temporary decrease in an individual’s quality of life and puts some “on a downward trajectory from which they might never fully recover.” Unlike the experience of divorced former spouses, a child’s suffering does not reach its peak at the divorce and then level off. Rather, the effect of the parents’ divorce can be played and replayed throughout the next three decades of a child’s life. For instance, an Australian parliamentary study tracked children whose parents divorced in 1946, and tested them two and three decades later. Even 30 years after the divorce, negative long-term repercussions still clearly affected the income, health, and behavior of many of the grown children. Though some adults and children adjust relatively quickly to divorce, others exhibit long-term deficits in functioning. Children’s well-being over the long term is determined by circumstances both prior to and after their parents’ divorce.

When I was five years old I was forced to make a choice. This was a choice many children should not have to make and can never really be prepared for. My parents were getting a divorce and they decided it was in my best interests to give me the option to live with whomever I chose. It was a burden that to this day affects my relationship with one of my parents. Ultimately, I chose to live with my mother and from then on, my father would barely be a part of my life. I often wonder would I have been better off in life had my parents decided to stay together and not divorce each other. This lead me to find out whether there are negative effects of divorce on children.