Running Head: THE IMPACT OF DIVORCE ON CHILDREN
The Impact of Divorce on Children
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THE IMPACT OF DIVORCE ON CHILDREN
The Impact of Divorce on Children
Abstract
Childrens are normally caught in an emotional whirlpool during the divorces period.
This is normally the case despite endless efforts by the parents to limits the implications. The
implications yielded after divorce occurrences are numerous. The effect not only limits the
childrens social life but almost every angle of the child wellbeing. Divorce cases continue to
escalate on daily bases the statics indicate that the children involved are the most affected party
in reference to the occurrences. Enacting strategic measures by evaluating the implications that
these children entangled in the occurrences is needed in relation to enhancing the wellbeing of
the children. The effects and limitations on to the entire life of the child involved should be held
into account in the terms of the occurrence.
Introduction
According to Behrnan (1994) divorce is normally a life transforming experience. The
consequences after divorce has occurred in the leads to diverse effects to the children involved.
There are various risks that the childrens are exposed to base on the reception and ability to
cope. Various researchers indicate that the risks after the divorce occurrence to the childrens life,
impacts on their childhood and adolescence. They indicate that the results impacts their decision
making based on the stages in life. In adulthood the children normally finds themselves
entangled in the decision making on whether to marry or not and have children or not. The
outcomes based on these analogies may be positive or negative, however the facts remains that
the trajectory of an individuals life is intensely distorted by the divorce experience. In the US
the percentage cases of divorce recorded per year is worrying, these include a statistic which
THE IMPACT OF DIVORCE ON CHILDREN
recorded that annually in the US there are about 1.2 million divorce cases. This includes cases
where the numbers of children involved in this occurrence are 1 million mainly under the age of
eighteen. The rest worrying facts are; that two to five children in the US will experience divorce
before they attain the age of 18, over 25% of all the children will spend some of their time in a
step family (Amato, 1996). The divorcing parents are normally anxious based on the impacts of
divorce on their parents. The considerations are basically on the level or the magnitude of the
impacts and the ways or to which extreme. Divorce is normally an intricate emotional experience
for the family involved and the resulting implications on the parties involved differs (Black,
1993). Some facts normally dictate the reaction and response of the childrens on the outcomes
of the divorce this include; age and ability to understand and express or explain their feelings.
Researchers have identified that the determining notion behind the children ability to cope with
the outcome of the divorce is determined by the availability of the emotional support offered by
their parents. The continuity of emotional support and the availability of sense of security being
guaranteed to the children by the parent also contribute to the level of reaction and response
(Hetherington, 1989).
Basing the assumption of reaction and response of the children on age researchers have
identified that; young children requires consistency in their lives hence great damage and
implications on the occurrence of divorce. The major concern that limits the ability of the
children to adopt based on the occurrence divorce is the cases on abrupt change occurring to
them and the loss of daily contact with their parents, the loss of the home, friends, schools and
the familiarity on new patterns. The outcomes on the implications on the children lives are
dictated on bases of short-term and long-term effects.
THE IMPACT OF DIVORCE ON CHILDREN
Reactions of children involved in a divorce
Children involved in divorce cases express varying reactions based on their ability to cope
and absorb the outcomes. These reactions are diverse based on the variable such as age and
cultural or societal backgrounds. Typically these reactions indicate the magnitude of the reactions
of the children on the occurrence of divorce in their lives. Some of these reactions are analysed
in the preceding preview (Furstenberg, 1994).
Grief normally for the loss of the family by the children, this is on the fact that the family
they had been used to on their daily presence and their normal familiar life. This
expression limits the children life where they find it hard to cope with one parent.
Denial expressed as the children attempts to convince themselves that the divorce is not
actually happening. The children normally hope that the problem will be solved between
their parents.
Sorrow which is a feeling of sadness that the children express after the loss of the family
Depression occurs to the children involved after they realize that the occurrence of
divorce will actually happen despite their efforts to avert or curb the occurrence. The
children normally changes their behaviors, exhibit apathy, emotional expressions and
alternations on their eating habits which can last for weeks or even months.
Anger which the affected children express on the parents by perceiving them as betrayal
tools based on their love and the fact that they believed in them. The children may also
been angered by their feeling based on the notion that they may be the due cause of the
divorce.
Fear under which the children involved may be unaware on the results or just what is
going to happen.
THE IMPACT OF DIVORCE ON CHILDREN
Bargaining where the children seeks for better children, try to improve their conducts and
trying to make life easier for their parents.
Acceptance where the children realizes that the occurrence of divorce will actually
happen no matter their efforts to prevent it, under this reaction the children realizes that
their family will be disrupted. This helps them prepare for the outcomes of the occurrence
and adopt based on the new environments such as a new life and new life experience.
The stipulated reaction above proffers a detailed preview on some of the reactions and
impacts that the involved children may express after the occurrence of a divorce. This indicates
that the children involved in the occurrences of divorces have huge burdens laid on them and the
consequences impacts their lives to huge levels.
Long-term and short-term effects
After expressing the stipulated reactions on the occurrence of divorce in their lives, childrens
are normally implicated on the preceding effects. These effects can be either short-term or long
term effects on the childrens entangled in the occurrence of the divorce. According to Aro and
Palosaari, (1992) the most common short-term effects that the children are implicated on by the
occurrence of divorce in their lives are;
Anger where the child is angry for the loss of the family
Sadness
Depression
Opposition
Impulsivity
Aggression
Non-compliance
Life stress
Less parental supervision
Less consistent discipline
More negative sanctions
THE IMPACT OF DIVORCE ON CHILDREN
Acting out
Lower-self concept
Difficulty on social adjustments
Increased dependency
Economic hardship perceived loss
The offered short-term effect deters the lifes of these childrens based on the ability to cope
and absorb the outcomes. Children may express different levels of these effects in their life upon
occurrence of divorce based on the factors such as gender and age. The risks of the effects may
implicate to long-term effects such as ability to marry or not. Some researchers indicate that the
long-term effects of divorce on the children involved are hard to project. However, others
indicate that the problems may persist to the entire life of the children involved. These problems
may include ability to socialize or basically social quality life being affected.
Conclusion
Parents have varying roles on the issue of divorce on the childrens based on the
implications. As indicated the damages caused by the occurrence of a divorce to the children are
diverse. The implications may limit their wellbeing causing both short-term and long-term
implications to the childrens involved. Some of the means that they can use upon the occurrence
to the children life include; offering help on the problem related issues to their children and
enacting strategic systems that will limit the effects. If the divorce cannot be averted the welfare
of the children should be held into consideration. Decisions made should reflect a suitable
environment towards absorbing the outcomes on the childrens enhancing a favorable setting.
THE IMPACT OF DIVORCE ON CHILDREN
THE IMPACT OF DIVORCE ON CHILDREN
References
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Children and Divorce, 4(1), Packard Foundation
Amato, P., (1994). Life-span adjustment of children to their parents divorce. In Children and
Divorce, 4(1). Packard Foundation. Blakeslee Ives, S.; Fassler, D.; and Lash, M. 1994.
The Divorce Workbook. Burlington, Vt.: Waterfront Books.
Amato, P. R., & Booth, A., (1996). A prospective study of divorce and parent-child
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Aro, H. M., & Palosaari, U. K.,(1992). Parental divorce, adolescence, and transition to young
adulthood: A follow-up study. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry; 62(3), 421-429.
Black, A. E., & Pedro-Carroll, J.,(1993).Role of parent-child relationships in mediating the
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Furstenberg, F. F., & Teitler, J. O., (1994). Reconsidering the effects of marital disruption: What
happens to children of divorce in early adulthood? Journal of Family Issues, 15(2), 173
190.
Hetherington, E. M., (1989). Coping with family transitions: Winners, losers, and survivors.
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