The Impact of Divorce on Children and Family Dynamics

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Introduction:

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 children live with their mothers after divorce which affects their relationship with dad. Father-child relationships are affected immensely after the divorce as mothers have the power to allow the children to see their dad. Consequently, youngsters develop fears and feelings of loneliness occur as there are no longer two parents present at home. They experience emotional trauma when adjusting to one of their parents moving out as the ‘norm’ in the household is abruptly changing. Unfortunately, children are forced to mature and grow up sooner as they may have to take the role of the other parent. The drastic change in a family’s life can be scarring for youngsters and leave many opened wounds years later. Adults who experienced divorce as a child reports increased health problems, feelings of unworthiness, difficult recollections connected to the divorce, and finally noticeable trouble in developing and sustaining intimate relationships. In addition, they found it more challenging to enter in...

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...d physical well-being decreases through and after the divorce as high intensity fighting is a negative influence. Youngsters of divorce tend to have more aggressive and violent behaviours with other problems like depression and anxiety. Research allows for people to understand and develop a common knowledge on certain issues. The research conducted in these scientific papers reveal many aspects that effect children through a divorce and is eye opening. Limitations on these papers include the use of more of a variety of sources and children around the world to ensure the consensus is the most accurate. In addition, some of the effects of divorce on the children they describe could have been a result of several other factors. Research should now focus on individual age groups of divorced children and how at each stage to behavioural patterns change.

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