Effects of divorce on children

Divorce presents immense changes in the lives of children no matter the age. The life that leads after divorce expressively changes from how it was before. Divorce affects a child’s development and is associated with a variety of adverse outcomes for children. Divorce causes irreparable harm to everyone involved. This paper will explore the effects of divorce on children.

The effect of divorce on the hearts, minds, and souls of children ranges from slight to severe, from apparently small to noticeably significant. Divorce leads to weakened parent-child relationships. When parents get divorced, another kind of divorce ensues between the parents and their children. When parents go through a divorce, they suffer from adjustment to the intrapsychic conflicts they have and also their roles as divorced parents. The stress on separation has significant damage to the parent-child relationship, and research indicates that these children receive much lower support from home in comparison to children from intact families (Mc Laughlin, and Katherine 44). Children from a divorced home may receive less emotional, financial, and practical help from the parents. Children from separated homes find it hard to trust their parents and close friends due to the pain they experience during such an event. The trust issues may disappear after a few years when the child understands the divorce issue, although it is not always the case.

The children also suffer more inadequate and less stimulating home environments since divorced parents, in most cases, are unable to offer emotional support to their children as they are also suffering from the divorce. Divorced mothers are said to be less communicative and affectionate with the children (Ehrlich 75). They may, in most cases, discipline them harshly and inconsistently, particularly during the period right after the divorce in comparison to continuously married mothers. When one parent receives sole custody of the children after the divorce, the other parent who is typically the father faces difficulty in maintaining close ties with the children. The contact with the parent who does not get sole custody of the children declines over time. This affects the emotional closeness and the wellbeing of the children as the relationship worsens. Nevertheless, after time passes after the divorce, the conflict between the parents may decrease, and this may bring emotional closeness back with the children.

Children may perform poorly academically after their parents’ divorce as they try to understand the family’s changing dynamics, which may make them confused and distracted (Ehrlich 67). This interruption on the children’s daily focus can manifest in their educational performance. The more those kids are distracted, the more they may find it hard to focus on school work. Research indicates that divorce may have an effect on children socially as well. The children may find it difficult relating to other people, and they may also have less social contacts. Children may get insecurities, wondering whether their parents are the only divorced parents. Children will go through feelings of loss, irritation, confusion, anxiety, among other emotions due to the transition (McBride 99). Divorce can make children get overwhelming and emotionally sensitive feelings. When such cases occur, children should find someone to talk to and who will listen so that they can let out their emotions and help them heal. In cases where children are overwhelmed and are unaware of how they can respond to the feelings they experience throughout the divorce process, they may turn to be angry and very irritable. The anger is focused on a vast range of professed roots, for example, their parents, themselves, friends, and other things/people. The anger may dissipate after some time in some children, but if it persists, the children should get help from a counselor.

Anger may eventually lead to feelings of guilt when children start wondering what happened to their family. The guilt will make them look for reasons and make them feel as if they contributed to the divorce (Ehrlich 22). The guilt feelings may lead to numerous other problems, such as increased pressure, depression, and stress, among other health issues. The children require counseling to help them comprehend their part in their parent’s divorce, which might help them in reducing their guilt feelings.

Unresolved conflict during the process of divorce may lead to unexpected future risks for children. According to research, children who have gone through the divorce process in the last 20 years have a high likelihood of participating in crime and rebelling through behavior that is destructive to them and may harm their health (McBride 111). Some children may acquire smoking habits and prescription drug use, which may have adverse effects on their health.

In conclusion, divorce has a significant effect on children, and parents should understand how divorce brings a lot of stress in the lives of children. Families should try and navigate through the transition peacefully to try and shield their children from pain and stress.

Works cited

McLaughlin, Jerry, and Katherine E. Krohn. Dealing with Your Parents’ Divorce. , New York:     Rosen Publishing, 2016. Print.

Ehrlich, Joshua. Divorce and Loss: Helping Adults and Children Mourn When a Marriage             Comes Apart. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2018. Print.

McBride, Jean. Talking to Children About Divorce: A Parent’s Guide to Healthy Communication at Each Stage of Divorce. Berkeley, CA: Althea Press, 2016. Print.

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