DIVORCE & THE EFFECTS ON CHILDREN

By, Taylor DePascale

TOPIC QUESTIONS:

D

o children of divorced parents have a lower rate of having a successful

life?

D

oes divorce also change children's judgment on healthy relationships?

A

re children of divorced parents more likely to end up divorced as well?

D

oes divorce have an affect on the children’s intimacy later in life?

Statistics on Divorce

The divorce rate shown peaked in the 1980’s and slowly decreased as it approaches the year 2000

In the 1980’s, almost 4 million American couples with children are divorced(1987 Census Bureau statistics)

Data from student survey:S

tudents whose parents are divorced showed a lower number of

relationships than of those whose parents are together

S

tudents of divorced parents show that they have had shorter

relationships

T

hey also stated that the relationships failed in their minds

because one of the partners had trust issues or was not willing

to open up to other

Children's behaviors associated with parent’s divorce:

D

epression

D

enial

E

mbarrassment

A

nger

Regression

Guilt

Hyper maturity

Difficulty concentrating

All these traits can have a negative impact on children's relationships later

on in life because…

C

hildren simply follow what they know/have learned from

their own parents

C

hildren may develop psychological disorders, like depression

that prevent them from having successful relationships

T

hey may also lack trust and security because they did not

have it when they were younger

Do children of divorced parents have a lower rate of having a successful life?

Children of divorced parents, tend to not do as well in school and can even lack social experienceThey also show higher drop out rates than children with parents who stay married

Past studies show that children in their age group also rate them as less enjoyable to be around (Andrew J. Cherlin, Marriage, Divorce,

Remarriage, Harvard University Press 1981)

Adolescent teens are also three times more likely to need psychological help within a the first year (Peter Hill, Recent Advances in Selected Aspects of Adolescent Development, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 1993)

Example:E

mily’s parents have never really gotten along well, and ended up

getting divorced when she was 10. She now lives with her mother

and only sees her father during holidays. Her mother is forced to

work two jobs to support her and her siblings and doesn’t spend a

lot of time with her. Emily has begun to slack off in school because

she has lost focus over the last few years and doesn’t see the point

in it anymore. Her mother is too busy to help her when she needs

it so she just gets further behind. Emily eventually drops out and

gets her own job to help out her mother and support her siblings.

Are children of divorced parents doomed to be unsuccessful at their own

relationships/marriages?

E

ven though it may not be genetic, children learn to build

relationships based on their environment

T

his means that if a child is brought into an environment where

the parents don’t get along and eventually divorce, the child is

more likely to pick up the bad habits of the parents

C

hildren need to be in a loving, caring environment where both

parents can demonstrate what a healthy relationship is

Example:C

hris’s parents got divorced when he was 7. The few memories

he remembers about involved arguing. Chris has close

relationships with both his parents and looks up to them.

Chris has never been in a relationship that lasts more than a

few months, they usually never end well either. He tends to

over react and constantly point out what his girlfriend does

wrong. . Chris also gets jealous if his girlfriend talks to other

guys and doesn’t trust her. This usually ends in an argument,

which eventually ends the relationship.

Does divorce have an effect on the children’s intimacy later in

life?F

or college students who have had a a lot of experience with

parental conflict, the level of intimacy in their romantic

relationships declined.

T

hese students also tended to be more cautious about intimacy in

future relationships (Burgoyne & Hames, 2002; Ensign, Scherman, & Clark, 1998)

Y

oung adults with divorced parents tend to be very cautious of new

people and are likely to over-analyze intimate situations, more than

those whose parents are still married

References:B

ruce, Matthew, Flora, Renae & Stacey, Christine. Divorce as it Influences the Intimate

Relationships of College Students http://www.kon.org/urc/bruce.html

B

urgoyne & Hames, 2002; Ensign, Scherman, & Clark, 1998

C

herlin,Andrew J. Marriage, Divorce, Remarriage, Harvard University Press 1981

H

ill, Peter . Recent Advances in Selected Aspects of Adolescent Development, Journal of Child

Psychology and Psychiatry 1993

Z

immerman , Jeffrey Ph.D., and Thayer, Elizabeth Ph.D., ADULT CHILDREN OF DIVORCE

How to Overcome the Legacy of Your Parents’ Breakup and Enjoy Love, Trust, and Intimacy

http://www.newharbinger.com/bookstore/client/client_images/NHpdfs//AdultChildren.pdf

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