Essay On Children Of Divorce

Children of Divorce

Divorce naturally has devastating implications for all people involved. Often the ones who suffer the most are the children of the parents divorcing. While adults are often able to eventually overcome and pick up the pieces of their shattered lives, children do not fully have the coping mechanisms that allow them to work through and accept the devastating effects of divorce. Children of different ages will react differently to parental divorce. It is common for children to have a very difficult time dealing with divorce, no matter the age or gender. Research indicates parental divorce has multiple short-term and long-term effects on children. Children typically have many behavioral issues for a short-term period after the divorce. Divorce can change a child’s outlook on life. Children will commonly develop depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. Some of these issues will continue through many years of their lives. For example, adults who experienced divorce as children usually have more mental health problems. In fact, there are twice as many children whose parents divorced that have seen a mental health professional versus children in intact families.

Divorce is a very common thing. About 50% of all marriages end in divorce (Reiter 278). Compared to the past, fewer people are willing to make a marriage work. Also, divorce is now more socially acceptable. It is common for a divorce to be seen as a process rather than an event (Kalter 588). There are very many possibilities that explain a marriage ending. Getting married too young, an affair, or just the couple growing apart are all some of the leading causes of divorce (Reed 1). Marriage is a difficult thing, and many people are not accepting of ...

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...r mother-figure into the family (Kalter 594). Children whose parents divorced before they were 15 are more likely to be a delinquent by the age of 15 (Fagan and Churchill 36). Teens will rebel more than other aged children when they hear the news (Reed 45). It is common for them to have delinquent-like behavior (Kalter 597). Teenagers will commonly separate from their parents emotionally, and invest time in the relationships with their peers (Kalter 594). Parental divorce has also been associated with lower self-esteem in teens (Kalter 597). Teenagers with divorced parents will skip 60% more school than teenagers in intact families (Fagan and Churchill 30). Teenagers are also more likely to get lower grades (Fagan and Churchill 29). Lower self-esteem is most commonly seen in teenage girls. The explanation of this is believed to be separation conflicts (Kalter 597).