The Impact of Parental Divorce on a Child

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The Impact of Parental Divorce on a Child Divorce has increased dramatically since the beginning of this century. Unfortunately, the probability that a marriage will today end in a divorce is a whopping 50 percent. Also, the average duration of a marriage has decreased from 17 years in 1971 to just over 9 years in 1990 (Halonen & Santrock, 1997). Halonen & Santrock claim that although divorce has risen for all socioeconomic groups, those in disadvantaged circumstances have a higher incidence of divorce. Suggesting that marriage at a young age, low educational levels, and low income are associated with increases in divorce. For most, divorce is extremely painful. Unfortunately, children are not excluded from related suffering. It is safe to assume that with such a high occurrence of divorce in our society that more and more children are being affected. For example, increasing numbers of children are growing up in single-parent families. There is no doubt that divorce involves quite a disequilibrium in children's lives. Doctor Judith Gold takes the issue further claiming that divorce is one of the most severe psychological stressors for children (Gold, 1992). There are many factors which mediate the effects of divorce on children. It is important to remember that family structure (a divorced versus a non-divorced family) is only one of the many factors that influence children's adjustment (Gold, 1992). Some circumstances which affect a child's adjustment to divorce are: (1) support systems, (2) the relationship between the custodial parent and the ex-spouse, (3) parenting styles, (4) gender of the child and the gender of the custodial parent, and (5) the age of the child at the time of the... ... middle of paper ... ... On a more positive note, Ann has recently been seeking the help of a counselor to deal with some of the issues she is facing. She reports that it is helping her dramatically. She believes for the first time she can truly express to someone what she is feeling. Ann's goals are to feel better about herself and improve her outlook on her world. She hopes to one day have less difficulties is social relationships and perhaps one day be able to trust someone enough to fall in love. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to speak with Ann. I wish her the best in all her future endeavors. Bibliography: Gold, Judith H. Divorce as a Developmental Process. New York: American Psychiatric Press, Inc.. 1992. Halonen, Jane S. & Santrock, John W. Human Adjustment (2nd edition). Indiana: Brown & Benchmark Publishers. 1997.

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