Divorce Effects
Divorce is not only a change in lifestyle or relationship for two adults, but also the children that may be involved experience changes. Their lifestyle and their relationship with their parents also change. A child’s lifestyle and relationship with his or her parents could be damaged resulting from the decision of their parent’s divorce. Children of different ages may react differently to the decision of his or her parent’s separation. Children’s behavior may vary at the time of their age and custody decisions.
Although a couple’s marriage vows usually include the phrase “Till death do us part”’, about half of all first marriages in the United States end in divorce {“Divorce” par.1). The United States has the highest rate of divorce in the modern world, it is estimated that 25% of adults in this country between ages 18 and 44 are products of divorce (“Divorce” par. 1). It is not just the couples that are affected by divorce but everyone around them as well. Something must be done now to decrease the poverty and its negative effects on children created by divorce.
Divorce is not a word many people like to use in casual conversation. It has a derogatory connotation that just leaves a lingering feeling of sadness hanging in the air. Although I grant that there are times when there is nothing left to do but move on in a relationship, I still maintain that a marriage is meant to be for life and it’s not something that should be given up on lightly. “Fifty percent of first marriages, sixty seven percent of second marriages and seventy four of third marriages end in divorce (Baker, 2011.)” That statistic is staggering. Recent studies state that there are three main contributors to the rise in the American divorce rate. They include young age, education, and income. The effects of divorce on children can be detrimental to their development and sense of self, especially during their crucial adolescent years. “Basically, divorce tends to intensify the child’s dependence and it tends to accelerate the adolescent’s independence; it often elicits a more regressive response in the child and more aggressive response in the adolescent (Pickhardt, 2011)” Mr. Pickard acknowledges that children and adolescents respond differently to the ending of a marriage. The three main effects of divorce on adolescents are separation, differentiation, and opposition. Because half of all marriages are likely to end in divorce, parents with adolescents should think clearly before choosing to separate. In order to ensure that they are not placing added stress onto their kids during one of their most hectic stages of life.
While divorce gives parents a novel opportunity to begin a new life, it leads to an unfortunate twist in lifestyle for the children. In “What About The Kids? Raising Your Children Before, During, and After Divorce” Judith S. Wallerstein, Ph.D., a psychologist who spent 25 years of her life studying the effects of divorce on children, and Sandra Blakeslee, a scientist writer who has spent nearly all of her profession writing for New York Times, wrote, “Each decision to divorce begins a long journey that holds surprising, unexpected turns.”. Divorce leads to many unforeseen negative consequences for the children involved. Some frequent symptoms such as, anxiety, depression, guilt and grief emerge in the children’s behavior.
“It is also estimated that between 40 percent and 50 percent of children born in the 1980s will experience the divorce of their parents before reaching age 18 (The influence of divorce on children).” These children of divorce have to go through the financial struggles of living pay check to pay check and live through this stress. All this stress leads to less focus on school and they begin to see lower academic achievement. This transition also effects them emotional and can even stick with them the rest of their life, ultimately impacting their own marriage in the future. With little attention left for them they turn to other activities for attention, including drugs and alcohol. Although some children come out of divorce a stronger individual, some go down the wrong path and see the negative side effects of
The topic of divorce sparked my interest as it has become a common process among American people and keeps increasing since the past few decades. Divorce not only breaks up a family but also affects children negatively. Children in the stages of early childhood development are mainly vulnerable since they are in a stage where they learn and change rapidly. According to an online article entitled, “The Impact of Parental Divorce on Emerging Adults’ Self-Esteem,” it is stated that “More than one million young children under the age of eighteen experience parental divorce every year,” and the consequences of this affect children’s “psychological adjustment, behavior, social ability, self-esteem, and academic achievement” (Block). These impacts
The idea of divorce is a gruesome experience, not only for the parents but more for the child. As marriages fall apart, children are deeply affected in traumatizing ways depending on how bad the relationship is, and how young the child is. Children who have experienced their parents getting a divorce often develop a low self-esteem, social difficulties, and resentment towards their parents as they grow older. When parents go through a divorce, the kids often feel like they are to blame, ultimately lowering their self-esteem. While this mostly occurs when they are young, it “can be long lasting…, if not addressed” (“Long Term Effects of Divorce on Children”). Therefore, their view on the world changes as they feel like they will never be able
Divorce is never an easy subject. Two parent's decide it's time to call it quits and there are children involved. When it comes to divorce, children's lives are impacted. Now the children are faced with life changes and dealing with the unknown. Divorce is frowned upon yet in the United States alone, 43-50 % of marriages end in divorce (Lansford, 2009). The purpose of this paper is to show the two sides to divorce, the negative and positive effects. Though the research shows some children don't adjust well to divorce, not all children suffer negatively from it. This paper will demonstrate the positive outcomes divorce can have on children and how the outcomes to divorce aren't always detrimental to a child's adjustment and well-being.
First and foremost, it is important to remember that age is not a safeguard against the effects experienced by children. Nearly all children and adolescents, regardless of age, react to and are affected by parental divorce (Oppawsky 2). Although infants and toddlers may seem too young to understand what is happening during a divorce, they can still be affected by it. During their first three years of life, children grow quickly, become mobile, learn language, begin to understand how the world works and form social relationships (Hunter and Trussell 1). At these ages, parental divorce comes at a time where consistency is critical and a large amount of childhood development occurs, so it’s important for the divorcing parents to be conscientious
Divorce negatively effects children on many aspects. Children with divorced parents lead a more stressful life, therefore they have a hard time adjusting to interrupted routines and staying motivated. The dependence of children on both parents, results in a loss of guidance and support, that leaves a traumatizing psychological impact on the children due to the destructive environment. Children also face problems maintaining long term relationships, because they develop doubts about love and harmony. Divorce causes emotional and psychologic challenges in a child’s life, which leads in difficulty facing reality.