How Does Divorce Really Affect Children?

How Does Divorce Really Affect Children?

Divorce rates have risen in recent years. Right now 50% of American marriages end in divorce. While the causes are varied, the effects on children can all be categorized into four major groups including stress, maladjustment, long-term psychological and behavioral problems, and relocation with a stepparent and step siblings.

Divorce is pretty much always stressful for children. Most children don’t want their parents to get divorced unless the marriage is a bad experience for them due to conflict and strife between parents. That is probably the only time when divorce is a positive occurrence for children. Most children also have a difficult time dealing with the transition of the divorce (Emery).

Some children are at a higher risk of maladjustment due to their parents’ divorce than others due to certain factors. Two of those factors are their perception of the divorce and their history of coping with stress. An example of one of those risks is gender. Divorce is harder on boys because the mother usually gets custody and there is no longer a male role model in the home, which can make it harder for them to adjust. Another example is age. Younger children are at a higher risk of short-term effects and adolescents are more at risk of long-term effects. Social status is an additional risk because some children’s needs might not get met anymore when one parent moves out taking their full income with them. The degree of the child’s involvement in the marital problems is again an example of a high risk factor. This situation can cause more anger, frustration, problems with parents, and loyalty problems with parents. Yet another example of a high risk factor is the child’s relationship with their parents prior to the divorce. If there was a problem between children and parents before the divorce, they may become worse after the divorce. If their relationship was good, then problems after the divorce are not as bad. Some...