Effects of divorce on elementary-school aged children

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In America, divorce rates are at an all time high. A divorce between the parents of elementary students can be devastating in a young child’s life. Divorce causes stress for children not only at home, but also at school. Children of divorced or separated parents often have to commute between houses. Not only do they have to deal with the pain of parents separating, they also may feel as if they caused their parent’s problems. Parental divorce has negative effects on children’s academic achievement, social life and success in their lifetime, specifically for elementary school students (Neighbor, 1992; Tucker, Friedman, Schwartz, Criqui, Tomlinson-Keasey, Wingard, & Martin, 1997; Kinard & Reinherz, 1986).

As with any child, a sudden change in home life can be a difficult adjustment. During school the child’s academic performance can be negatively affected by their parent’s divorce. Having divorced parents is no fault of their own, yet; they have to suffer with the stress it causes. Usually, student’s grades drop and they may also become very emotional. Neighbor (1992) demonstrates that boys from divorcing homes have poorer academic results than boys whose parents stayed together. It is thought that boys and girls often cope with divorces differently.

According to Neighbor (1992), during post divorce year’s girls’ GPA remained higher than the GPA of boys’ whose parents got divorced. Marital hardships have significant effects on children’s literacy skills, overall academic achievement and productivity based on the opinions of teachers (Kinard & Reinherz, 1986). If a child’s parents get a divorce before they begin school the child is less likely to show signs of distress, sadness, and emotion turmoil as result of the divorce. The ...

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...Journal of Marriage and Family, 48(2), 285-293.

Mustonen, U., Huurre, T., Kiviruusu, O., Haukkala, A., & Aro, H. (2011). Long-term impact of parental divorce on intimate relationship quality in adulthood and the mediating role of psychosocial resources. Journal of Family Psychology, 25(4), 615-619. doi:10.1037/a0023996

Neighbors, B., Forehand, R., & Armistead, L. (1992). Is parental divorce a critical stressor for young adolescents? Adolescence, 27(107), 639-646.

Stroschein, L., (2005). Parental divorce and child mental health trajectories. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67(5), 1286.

Tucker, J. S., Friedman, H. S., Schwartz, J. E., Criqui, M. H., Tomlinson-Keasey, C., Wingard, D. L., & Martin, L. R. (1997). Parental divorce: Effects on individual behavior and longevity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73(2), 381-391. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.73.2.381

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