The effects of chlidren of divorce

Essay by akilmmarshallCollege, UndergraduateA-, November 2014

download word file, 6 pages 0.0

Marriage by mutual consent is without a doubt one of the most important and happy events in the life of an individual. When two people meet and once decide to create a family, it may seem that they will stay together forever. However, the reality brings in its own adjustments, and about 50% of marriages end up with a divorce; in 2011, the divorce rate in the USA made around 50%. In 2000, the divorce rate (per 1,000 people) was at the rate of 4.0, and by 2011, it was at 3.6 while the marriage rate was 8.2 in 2000 and fell to 6.2 by 2011 (Trust). Though divorce is often a psychologically difficult procedure, adults can deal with the consequences. The situation changes to worse if the couple gave birth to a child, who is often the one to suffer the most from divorce. divorce

Divorce causes different emotional reactions in children of different ages.

Preschoolers, who are often unable to understand the reasons behind their parents' divorce, tend to blame themselves and feel responsible for bringing their parents back together again (Clinical Psychology Associates). Children of 6-8 years continue to have similar fantasies, though the feeling of guilt and responsibility for the divorce decreases; they, however, experience a strong sense of grief and loss. Children of 9-12 years are able to understand the reasons of their parents' divorce better, and tend to consciously express their anger and disapproval, and take the side of one of the parents. As it can be seen, divorce causes intense emotional distress in children, and can make them feel guilty and responsible for bringing their parents back together.

Children and teenagers whose parents are divorced are more likely to drop out of schools and are more prone to committing crimes. Research held by...