Effects Of Divorce On Children

The choice to divorce is an agonizing decision that many families face, but is divorce truly okay for children? There has been much research and studies done on both sides of this issue, but in the end, the children are the ones that are left with dealing with the change in their lives. It is a decision that shakes the environment that was supposed to be the source of their stability. It is the same as the death of a parent and in the end they are dealing with all the same stages of grief. No, divorce is not okay, just as the death of a parent is not okay. Death is not a choice, but divorce is. In the end, there is no such thing as a “good” divorce.
In today’s society, more than 40% of children under 16 years of age will experience
A child relies on their parents as they grow up and learn to be independent, and with this reliability, they form bonds and attachments. It has been noted that parents have the most influence on a child’s development than any other outside influence. (Wang, Peterson, & Morphey, 2007). These areas have the longest lasting effects into their adult life that impact possible career choices, relationships, faith and moral decisions. When parents get divorced, they are breaking the trust and bond that they have created and depending on what stage the child is in their development, it can create emotional damages that last throughout their entire life. In young children, the emotional bonds they create also allows them to grow in certain other developmental areas (such as feeling secure, trust, etc.) and when the parents get divorced, the sense that the child has to rely on their parents is gone and this can lead to unpredictable circumstances and, therefore, behaviors that can cause emotional issues such as anxiety and trauma (Quinn, 2008). Mr. Donal Quinn states that, “Children are accustomed to routine and structure. These concepts provide security and stability for them. As a consequence of divorce, their routine is disrupted,” (Quinn, 2008). With divorce, no matter what stage of development the child is in, the trauma of divorce can severely do
Also, older children slowly begin to understand the concept of divorce and many negative effects will begin to impact them. Their academic behavior is shown to suffer which may lead to the long-term effects on their confidence level. In addition, depression and anxiety could intensify because the children will be torn between their mother and father. (Kot and Shoemaker). Shoemaker and Kot explain that, “the perception of “losing” a parent may cause the child to be hesitant in forming close relationships with others for fear of another loss” (Kot and Shoemaker). With less parental involvement and supervision, there is the likelihood that the child will act in delinquent behaviors (Kot and