In our current society, children are experiencing negative effects of parental conflicts among married couples. The conflicts are either direct or indirect however, they result in several inefficiencies in cognitive development, behavior, and overall performance in the involved children. Nevertheless, research can possible prove that there is a incisive percentage of individuals who have derived from prior conflicting homes, and now exemplify the ideal successful lifestyle. It is in my interest and the interest of some other researchers that these individuals reach out to the younger portion of their connected counterparts in understanding/empathizing, mentoring and giving them direction to a better well-being.
Purpose of the Study
To assess if marital conflicts between parents has a direct dramatic negative affect on the outcome of their children. If there is an indirect negative affect on children, what are the causes of the indirect or displaced behavior of parents towards the child/children.
Literature Review
Researchers have conducted studies on how marital conflict is a significant source of environmental stress for children. There has been evidence of its indirect affects and direct affects. Witnessing such conflict may harm their stress response systems, affecting their mental and intellectual development. Research findings suggest that stress from marital conflict can hinder children’s development of cognitive ability.
The theme of the research includes finding supporting evidence that marital conflicts among parents does negatively impact child cognitive development. This particular literature was published on March 28, 2013. Due to this study being so vastly tested it is not the most current research done o...
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...dding stress to their lives. Additionally, they don’t learn good relationship skills from their parents because they seldom see them resolving their problems in an amicable way.” (How do marriage problems affect children?) My ultimate purpose is to advocate a positive impact on the lives of children that reside in conflicted homes as the result of former conflicted homes children’s appeals.
Works Cited
How do marriage problems affect children?. Retrieved from http://www.couples-counseling-now.com/marriage_problems.html
Social change and the family. Retrieved from http://archive.unu.edu/unpress/unupbooks/uu13se02.htm
Society for Research in Child Development. (2013, March 28). Marital conflict causes stress in children, may affect cognitive development. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 6, 2014 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130328080225.htm
For a positive future, it is only common sense that a generation of healthy children must be raised. A stable family unit and personal attention seem logical ways to rear successful young people. Yet statistics show that in 2003, approximately 37,000 marriages and 21,000 divorces occurred in Kentucky; other states showed very similar ratios, such as Ohio, with about 73,000 marriages and 40,000 divorces (NVSR, Pg. 6). Clearly, many students already have “broken homes” as obstacles, but the homogenous
Thornton A. 1991. Influence of the marital history of parents on the marital and cohabitation experiences of children. Am. J. Sociol. 96:868 94
Divorce has stressors for both the parents and the children in the marriage. This can be seen in a study conducted by Jennifer M. Weaver and Thomas J. Schofield. For this study intact and divorced families were observed. Three main things were observed when doing the study, the income of the family before the divorce, children’s IQ as well as the mother’s predivorce sensitivity (Weaver & Schofield, 2014). The results confirmed the hypothesis that “children from divorced families had significantly more behavior problem than peers from intact families” (Weaver & Schofield, 2014, p.45). As it is seen, the stressors that come along with a divorce is a child’s behavioral problems and the economic well-being of the family. Divorce brings the stressor of economic well-being, for a single mother because if before the divorce, they were of low income, now they may struggle a bit
“At current rates, about 40% of U.S. children will witness the breakup of their parents’ marriages before they reach 18” (Cherlin). This started as a prediction that was thought up almost forty years ago, in 1984. Today, this is more or less an everyday occurrence; not every divorce is the same. Yet society tends to lean towards stereotypes of divorce, when it comes to the children and how they should be acting because of the divorce.
The dramatic rise in the rate of divorce in the United States between 1960 and 1980 is well known, and even more so are the high divorce rates over the past twenty years. In 1970, twelve percent of American families with children under age eighteen were headed by single parents, and by 1984, one-fourth of American families and nearly sixty percent of black families were headed by single parents (Demo & Acock, 1988, p. 619). These high divorce rates have resulted in numerous changes in American family life. While predictions vary, the consensus is that most youth will spend some time prior to age eighteen in a single-parent household based on recent social and demographic trends. Individuals with divorced parents are at increased risk of experiencing psychological problems in adulthood (Amato & Sobolewski, 2001, p. 900). Growing up divorced has become an alternative developmental path for a substantial number of children in this country (Kalter, 1987, p. 587). These trends in family composition have major repercussions for the life course of children and their well-being. Studies have shown that adults with divorced parents, when compared with adults with continuously married parents, report to greater unhappiness, less satisfaction with life, a weaker sense of control, more symptoms of anxiety and depression, and a greater use of mental health services. Overall, most children of divorced parents have experienced dramatic declines in their economic circumstances, abandonment by one or both of their parents, the diminished capacity of both parents to attend meaningfully and constructively to their children’s needs, and diminished contact with many familiar or potential sources of psychological support.
Sobolewski, Juliana M., and Paul R. Amato. 2007. "Parents' Discord and Divorce, Parent-Child Relationships and Subjective Well-Being in Early Adulthood: Is Feeling Close to Two Parents Always Better than Feeling Close to One?." Social Forces 85, no. 3: 1105-1124. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed March 8, 2011).
Sobolewski, J.M., & Amato, P.R. (2007). Parents’ discord and divorce, parent-child relationships and subjective well-being in early adulthood: is feeing close to two parents always better than feeling close to one? Social Forces, 85(3), 1105-1124.
Girgis, George, & Anderson (2011) define marriage as the union of a man and a woman who make a permanent and exclusive commitment to each other of the type that is naturally (inherently) fulfilled by bearing and rearing children together. These marriages are intended to last eternity and are partially accomplished by raising children together, yet four of every ten marriages lead to divorce and of these divorces, 35% involve children (Ambert, 2009). Children tend to blame themselves for the divorce and are usually caught in the crossfire. These divorces lead to both stress and depression for children and without a strong sense of family, children will have a huge disadvantage over children with a stable healthy family (Arreola, Hartounian, Kurges, Maultasch, & Retana, 2013). Without the ability to cope with the stress of a divorce, children can be effected in multiple ways including a change in mentality, unacceptable behavioural traits and both short and long term emotional factors that will ultimately lead to a critical issue in child development.
Hughes, Jr. R. Ph.D. (2009) The effects of divorce on children. University of Illinois at urbana-Champaign
The statistics for divorce in America are alarming. As of 2013, forty-three percent of all marriages end in divorce. (Trudi Strain Trueit) Of that percentage, only twelve percent went through a friendly and easy divorce. (Trudi Strain Trueit) Research shows that more than twenty percent of people have parents who argue excessively prior to their divorce. (Trudi Strain Trueit) Sometimes, the split helps calm these tensions, but statistics show that most couples who separate, will get divorced. Other times, the fighting continues after the divorce, with children getting caught in the middle. Studies show that the divorce rate among couples with children is forty percent lower than couples without children. (Miller)
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, multilevel issue. Things like identity confusion, depression, and anxiety are all areas of psychological concern this paper will address. Through this explanation, I will demonstrate the harmful effects divorce has on children.
Considering that over 45 percent of marriages today end in divorce, it is crucial to understand recent research regarding the positive and negative effects of divorce on children’s mental health. Studies have shown that although children of broken homes generally have more adjustment difficulties than children of intact families, the distinction between these two groups appears to be much less significant than previously assumed (1). In the case of parental separation, studies suggest that children undergo a decline in the standard of living, exhibit poorer academic performance, engage in increased alcohol/ substance abuse, as well as experience diminishing rates of employment. However, underlying factors must be taken into consideration when assessing the long-term consequence of divorce on children, which happens to be resiliency rather than dysfunction (1). These key contextual factors that influence post-divorce adjustment include parenting styles, custody arrangements, age of the child, financial stability, and most importantly, the nature and magnitude of parental conflict. Persistent, unsettled conflict or violence is linked to greater emotional anxiety and psychological maladjustment in children, whereas negative symptoms like fear and insecurity are reduced when parents resolve their conflicts through compromise and negotiation. Although divorce unveils many risk factors involving a child’s health, it may be more beneficial rather than detrimental to children living in highly discorded families, in which children are able to acquire externalizing and internalizing behaviors (1). The development of coping skills and living in a supportive and empathetic environment are two crucial components for children to manage their ne...
...up to their parents as role models in their lives, would you want your child to partake in arguments with teachers or fellow students while in school? When it comes down to domestic violence within the parental relationship, the parents are to look at their argument from the child’s perspective and how detrimental it may be for the child in the long run. Children’s emotional effects from the arguments may include being anxious, nervous, depressed, confused, and embarrassed. These negative emotional states also could include nightmares about these arguments, distraught while at school, and social problems with friends. Lastly, how would a parent feel if the child believes the fighting is caused by the child? The amount of distress a child will endure if the child makes the fighting and arguments their own personal faults is damaging towards the child’s well-being.
Sarrazin, J., & Cyr, F. (2007). Parental conflicts and their damaging effects on children. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 47(1), 77-93.
The first topic to investigate in the increase of violence in society is family dynamics; children are more likely than ever to face a distracted family. The divorce rate has climbed greatly in the last decade. According to Jennifer Baker of the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in Springfield, Missouri, “50% of first marriages, 67% of second and 74% of third marriages end in divorce.” (Baker, 2009) This would suggest that many children and their parents are facing extreme stress. When parents divorce they often become preoccupied with the situation, this may leave children fending for themselves or with ...