Becoming a major trend in the United States among families, is the increase of marital instability (Del Boca & Cigno, (2003). Economic difficulties arise for various reasons such as finances and custody battles, when it comes to the separation of parents. In most cases, the mother receives the child while the father has to contribute time and income for the child. For families, divorce can be a devastating experience that has a major impact when children become involved (Welton, 2014). New research proposes that children whose parents are divorced had a difficult time adapting to the social, mental, and physical changes in their lives. Children between the ages 3 to 5 years old have a higher level of feeling insecure than those children whose parents divorced when they were older (Author Unknown, 2013). In the early stages of childhood development, kids are most inclined because of the rapid time of change and learning.
Regarding the reasoning for divorce, children become emotionally, socially and physically vulnerable because the child tends to blame him or herself (Welton, 2014). These feelings of blame then lead to aggression, anger or anxiety. Relationships with your family plays a major role in your life because we grow and become attached to our family members, especially our parents (Author, Unknown, 2013).
In early childhood, a child learns the needs to create relationships and learn to work together with others (Welton, 2014). Parents who experience divorce become less responsive to the need of their children which may cause a deterrence of attachment or bonding time for that child. To maintain a healthy development for children they need this type of affection because any disturbance may lead to problems with how a child...
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...Youngest Kids the Hardest, Study Finds. Live Science. Retrieved April 27, 2014, from http://www.livescience.com/37908-divorce-hardest-on-young-children.html
Vousoura, E., Verdeli, H., Warner, V., Wickramaratne, P., & Baily, C. (2012). Parental Divorce, Familial Risk for Depression, and Psychopathology in Offspring: A Three-Generation Study. Journal of Child & Family Studies, 21(5), 718-725. doi: 10.1007/s10826-011-9523-7
Vélez, C. E., Wolchik, S. A., Tein, J., & Sandler, I. (2011). Protecting Children from the Consequences of Divorce: A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Parenting on Children's Coping Processes. Child Development, 82(1), 244-257. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01553
Welton, R. (2014). The Effects of Divorce on Early Childhood Development. Global Post. Retrieved, from http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/effect-divorce-early-childhood-development-13072
Jamison, Lesley "The Effects of Divorce on Children". Clinical Psychology Associates of North Central Florida, P.A. American Psychological Association, 7 Oct. 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.
Two out of five children will experience the divorce of their parents before they reach age eighteen (D. Matthews). Research suggests that divorce creates harm to children and affects development of children in a variety of ways. Research also suggests that divorce also has both short-term and long term effects on children. This paper will focus on the history of divorce in our society and current statistics, how divorce affects the level of trust in familial and social relationships, and how divorce creates an unhealthy state of confusion in children/adolescents.
Hetherington, E. Mavis, and Margaret Stanley-Hagan. "The Adjustment of Children with Divorced Parents: A Risk and Resiliency Perspective." Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry & Allied Disciplines 40, no. 1 (January 1999): 129. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed March 8, 2011).
Kelly, J. B., & Emery, R. E. (2003). Children's adjustment following divorce: Risk and resilience perspectives. Family Relations, 52(4), 352-362.
Divorce should be harder to obtain due to the effect that it has on children the main effect it has on the children is depression. “ In the short term divorce is always troublesome for children Mavis Hetherington videotaped and scrutinized the workings of 1400 divorced families since the early 1970’s. Hetherington pinpoints a crisis period of about two years in the immediate aftermath of separation when the adults, preoccupied with their own lives, typically takes their eye off parenting just when their children are reeling from loss and feeling bewildered” (Hethrington 2). This article states that the short term effect of divorce affects the kid deep because they feel that they lost one forever and in those 1400 many of the kids felt the effect of the divorce. “Wallerstein has told us that divorce abruptly ends kids’ childhood, filling it with loneliness and worry about their parents, and hurting them prematurely and recklessly into adolescence. (Wallerstein 2).” This later affects the kids life because they try to think of happy memories they had but really all they can think about is the parent that they loss due to the divorce. “Contrary to the popular perceptions, the alternative to most divorces is not life in a war zone. Though more than 50 percent of all marriages currently end in divorce, experts tell us that only about 15 percent of all unions involve high levels of conflict. In the vast number of divorces, then, there is no gross strife or violence that could warp a youngster’s childhood. The majority of marital break-ups are driven by a quest for greener grass—and in these cases the children will almost always be worse off. (Zinsmeister 2)” this proves to me that when people get a divorce they most of the time don’t ...
Divorce is a process that many people in America go through. The divorce rate continues to escalate over the years. Divorce is a serious problem, it is a gradual process that ultimately results in families breaking up. There are various factors in which a marriage can fail and end up in divorce. Some skip the step of trying to reconcile things and make it work. In some cases it is easy for a divorce to take place. For instance, in cases where both parties are in agreement and have no children it is easier to handle a divorce. But in the cases where children are present, what happens to the kids? Both parents are at each others throats or one is devastated from the rejection, what role does the child play? It is a hard thing to cope with as an adult imagine as a little one or even a teenager, it affects them in more ways than anyone can imagine. It can affect them both physically and emotionally. The effects of divorce are immense, it permanently weakens the bond or relationship between a child and his parents. Can lead to them reaching out or looking to others for attention, causing poor attitudes, low self esteem, dropping grades, loss of virginity, use of drugs and or weapons, or in some cases mutilation of the body. There are various effects that children have to deal with that maybe extremely hard to cope with. One parent may say one thing yet the other disagrees and makes it impossible for the child to have a stable relationship with both of them. Children need both biological parents at their side to be guardians and counselors in their lives, to be examples of what they need to do to become outstanding citizens in our community.
Divorce is a very common word in today's society. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, "divorce is the legal dissolution of a marriage or a complete or radical severance of closely connected things"(Pickett, 2000). This dissolution of marriage has increased very rapidly in the past fifty years. In 1950 the ratio of divorce to marriage was one in every four; in 1977 that statistic became one in two. Currently one in every two first marriages results in divorce. In second marriages that figure is considerably higher, with a 67% average (National Vital Statistics Report, 2001). One critical aspect of divorce is often not taken into consideration: How it affects children. Every year 1.1 million children are affected by divorce (Benjamin, 2000). Children from divorce or separation often exhibit behavioral and long-term adjustment problems (Kelly, 2000). Throughout this paper I will discuss divorces effects on children at different age levels, how they react, and what can be done to help them.
There are many different outcomes that the effect of a divorce may have on a child. Though divorce isn't always a positive thing, sometimes there are scenarios where a family is better off this way. According to research, the bond maintained between parent and child is the main change that plays a factor on the child's outcome when a divorce happens. The relationships between parents and their children were found to be more influential than the parents’ marital status. Negative effects were null if relationships remained intact after the divorce. However, sometimes the ability to keep these relationships closely knit just isn't as simple as it was before the divorce. Keeping a relationship intact is especially difficult for the non-custodial parent. (He...
An absence of a parent or a parent’s separation, divorce, when a child is developing, may affect the child’s future relationships. “Evidence shows that, on average, children who have experienced parental divorce score somewhat lower than children in first-marriage families on measures of social development, emotional well-being, self-concept, academic performance, educational attainment, and physical health” (Demo, Supple)
Vousoura, EleniVerdeli, HelenWarner, VirginiaWickramaratne, PriyaBaily, Charles. “Parental Divorce, Familial Risk For Depression, And Psychopathology In Offspring: A Three-Generation Study.” Journal Of Child & Family Studies 21.5 (2012): 718.MasterFILE Premier.Web. 26 Feb. 2014.
It is unfortunate that marriages sometimes end and there are children caught in the middle of the marriage but it may be worst for the parents to stay together simply for the children’s sake. However when parents do divorce the children are the most effected by the divorce. Often enough the divorce causes children to feel displaced and also to have feelings that their world is coming to an end. These children tend to grow into adults with either extreme emotional detachment and self-esteem issues or they will have strong family values and try to prevent the cycle from repeating itself but the majority of these children grow up suffering from the divorce.
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...
In the world we live in today, divorce has unfortunately become a normal thing in our lives. Many married couples are getting divorced for many reasons; problems in the marriage, either a spouse having an affair, a loss of feelings, and many other types of complications. Many divorces involve children who are young and due to their age do not understand what is really going on. We all know someone who has dealt with divorce. Children are the ones who are typically affected the most by the divorce and they will have to learn to cope with their parent’s divorce at such a young age, affecting them in positive or negative ways.
The Negative Effect of Divorce on Children Divorce has a negative effect on the psychological and social aspects of our children, which may appear instantly or not come to the surface for years. This is why I think that divorce should only be a last resort and not rushed into, even by couples with the most troubled marriages. The only acceptable reason for someone rushing into divorce is if they or their children are in danger. I believe that marriage is a commitment not to be taken lightly and disregarded at the first bump in the road, especially when there are children involved. Far too many people do not want to take responsibility for their actions and choices; for example, people use abortion as birth control and couples’ jumping in and out of marriages like it’s a trial and error institution.
Jamison, L. (2013, October 7). Effects of divorce on children - Clinical psychology associates of north central Florida. Retrieved from http://cpancf.com/articles_files/efffectsdivorceonchildren.asp