The Effects of Divorce on Children

781 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Divorce effects on children research papers

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.
The statistics of divorce are only growing. The 1970’s was a time when divorce rates were high. Information gathered in a study of long term effects on divorce on children state that divorce rates grew 70 percent in the U.S. from 1970 to 1977. The facts in the long term effects study show that the reality of divorce today is 2 of 5 children will experience divorce before they reach the age of 18, about 25 percent children will spend some time in a step-family, and there are about 1,250,000 divorces per year (D. Matthews). What is known for sure is that divorce affects children. Trust and relationships are affected by parents divorcing.
The definition of trust is the belief that someone or something that is reliable; a dependence on something future. Divorce affects the level of trust and can change how trust is managed in relationships. Trust is shaken when the child loses the the security of both parents living together, and girls and boys react differently to the divorce. “Girls feel a need for love and attention and fear abandonment, and be prone to both desire and anxiety” (Fagan & Churchill). It is a challenge for girls to make decisions about marriage and they ...

... middle of paper ...

...ind ways to support children of divorce and help support healthy trusting relationships and decrease the confusion that children feel. Children are the vulnerable ones in divorce and it is important to support the children.

Works Cited
Cameron, Leah “of Divorce, The Possible Negative Emotional and Psychological Consequences in Children ” ESSAI: Vol. 6, Article 15. http://dc.cod.edu/essai/vol6/issl/15.
Debord, Karen. “The Effects of Divorce on Children.” Focus on Kids. n.d.Web. Apr 16 2014.
Fagan, Patrick R. and Churchill, Aaron “Marri Research Research Sythesis” The Effects of
Divorce on Children. Jan. 2012. Web. Apr 16 2014
Matthews, Wayne D. “Divorce on Children” Ces.ncsu.edu 05 Mar, 2011, Web 02. Mar. 2014
Pickhardt Carl “The Impact of Divorce on Young Children and Adolescents” Surviving (Your
Childs) Adolesence. 19 Dec. 2011. Web. Apr 16 2014.

Show More
Related

  • School Guidance Counseling Group: When Parents Divorce

    2678 Words  | 6 Pages

    A significant portion of children in the United States are impacted by divorce. Empirical investigations verify that children of divorce are at a heightened risk for the development of psychological, social, behavioral and academic issues (Amato, 2000; Amato, 2001). Amato and Keith (1991) studied the welfare of children of divorce compared with that of children whose parents are still married to each other. Children from divorced families scored considerably lower on a range of outcomes and it was shown that these problems can persist into adulthood. Given the high rate of divorce and the negative effects it has on our youth, the implementation of effective prevention programs has great significance (Wolchik, West, Sandler, Tein, Coatsworth, & Lengua, 2000).

    Read More

  • Stereotypes About Children With Divorced Parents

    806 Words  | 2 Pages

    “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.

    Read More

  • Negative Effects of Divorce on Children

    899 Words  | 2 Pages

    When divorced, the children go through many emotional changes. "Children of divorce are more depressed and aggressive toward parents and teachers than are youngsters from intact families. They are much more likely to develop mental and emotional disorders later on in life" (Leo 2000). Children and teenagers have a hard tim...

    Read More

  • Divorce’s Effects on Children

    1584 Words  | 4 Pages

    Demo, D. H., & Acock, A. C. (1988). The impact of divorce on children. Journal of Marriage

    Read More

  • The Effects of Divorce on Children

    2257 Words  | 5 Pages

    Divorce is becoming a worldwide phenomenon, significantly affecting children’s well-being. It radically changes their future causing detrimental effects. According to (Julio Cáceres-Delpiano and Eugenio Giolito, 2008) nearly 50% of marriages end with divorce. 90% of children who lived in the USA in the 1960s stayed with their own biological parents, whereas today it makes up only 40% (Hetherington, E. Mavis, and Margaret Stanley-Hagan, 1999). Such an unfavorable problem has been increasing, because in 1969, the legislation of California State changed the divorce laws, where spouses could leave without providing causes (Child Study Center, 2001). This resolution was accepted by the other states and later, the number of divorced people has been steadily growing. Such a typical situation is common for most countries in the world, which negatively affects children’s individuality. However, remarkably little amount of people can conceive the impact of marital separation caused to offspring. (? passive) Many children after separation of parents are exposed to a number of changes in the future. They have to be getting used to a further living area, feelings and circumstances. Their response to divorce can vary and depends on age, gender and personal characteristics. This essay will show the effects of divorce on children under various aspects such as educational, psychological and social impact. In addition, it will contain data about the divorce rate in the US and present disparate reactions of children. It will also include adequate recommendations for parents as to how act to children after divorce, in order to minimize the adverse effect on children.

    Read More

  • Divorce and Its Effect On Children

    1490 Words  | 3 Pages

    Divorce is a heavy concept that has many implications for those involved. The situation becomes even more consequential when children are considered. As divorce has become more commonplace in society, millions of children are affected by the separation of the nuclear family. How far-reaching are these effects? And is there a time when divorce is beneficial to the lives of the children? This paper will examine some of the major research and several different perspectives regarding the outcomes of divorce for the children involved, and whether it can actually be in the best interest of the kids.

    Read More

  • Divorce Rhtorical Analysis

    1125 Words  | 3 Pages

    Most people, when thinking about divorce, worry about the impact that it has on the children that are involved. Even though children are most likely better off if totally incompatible parents separate instead of staying together, divorce is about loss and change, and it is still hard for children. Everyone knows that divorce has its effects on children. There are three different sources that try to explain these effects. Graham Blaine Jr. states that divorce is a threat to all children, whereas Rhona Mahony states that divorce is not always the cause of behavioral or academic problems in children coming from divorced families. Yvette Walczak and Sheila Burns state that the extent of the damage can be determined by the parents and their methods of explanation to the children.

    Read More

  • The Effects of Divorce on Children

    367 Words  | 1 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Sociological Effects of Divorce

    964 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Effects of Divorce on a Child

    1448 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Children of Divorced Parents

    1411 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Children Essay: The Effects Of Divorce On Children

    1193 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rosemond, J. (1989, Jan 21). Effects of divorce on children vary: Researchers. The Ottawa Citizen Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/239297736?accountid=458

    Read More

  • Effects of Child Custody

    1202 Words  | 3 Pages

    Myers-Walls, J., & Karuppaswamy, N. (2013). The effect of divorce on children: What makes a difference. Retrieved from https://www.extension.purdue.edu/providerparent/family-child relationships/effectdivorce.htm

    Read More

  • The Effect of Divorce on Children

    620 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Negative Effect of Divorce on Children

    955 Words  | 2 Pages

    Marriage is no longer taken seriously; commitment and monogamy are no longer an essential ingredient. For most couples today, it’s not even considered a part of marriage. The negative effects that divorce has on children should be the number one consideration when a couple hits that hard time in their relationship. Children are psychologically and socially affected by divorce and may need counseling either at the time of their parent’s divorce or in the future. They may react instantly by getting lower grades or becoming depressed or anxious.

    Read More

More about The Effects of Divorce on Children

Open Document