The Impact of Divorce on Children

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The Impact of Divorce on Children

Divorce is the dissolution of a marriage that affects numerous people around the world. Divorce can be a heartbreaking process that affects not just the couple but their children also. I am going to be comparing the impact of divorce on children in context to Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory.

Individual

The individual in this context is the child that is affected by the divorce of their parents. Studies show that divorce can affect a child’s social skills (Kim, 2011). Research shows that gender is a factor and that girls tend to be more sensitive then boys about parental divorce (Brockmeyer, Crowell, Treboux, 2009). Another factor is the health of the child. Divorce has an affect on the children’s psychosocial health (Potter, 2010). When the individual’s psychosocial health is low they perform poorly in school (Potter, 2010). The more recent the divorce the more troubling it is on the child (Brown, Overland, Storksen, Thorsen, 2012).

(1) Temperament is the natural mood that someone is born with (Bristor, 2010; Cobb, 2014a) Thomas and Chess (two researchers) established nine qualities that show how people react to their environment (Bristor, 2010). They found these qualities even in babies that were only two months old (Bristor, 2010. Temperament does not change over time but as people grow up they can change how it is conveyed (Cobb, 2014a).

When you see a child that is smiling all the time and usually just happy, this would be an example of temperament. Even in babies you can notice temperament. One of the characteristics of temperament is intensity of reaction, which is how individuals handle stress (Bristor, 2010). There are three ways that a child could handle the stressful situation ...

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...ildren after divorce:

Report from a 25-year longitudinal study. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 30(2), 167-184. doi:10.1037/a0032511

Cobb, R. A. (2014a, February). Individual Subsystem: Personality. Ecological Contexts for

Individual and Family Development. Lecture presented at Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fl.

Cobb, R. A. (2014b, January). Family Structure & Function. Ecological Contexts for Individual

and Family Development. Lecture presented at Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fl.

Cobb, R. A. (2014b, January). Family Structure & Function. Ecological Contexts for Individual

and Family Development. Lecture presented at Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fl.

Cobb, R. A. (2014c, January). Family Structure & Function. Ecological Contexts for Individual

and Family Development. Lecture presented at Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fl.

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