Coping with divorce and the fracture of their family unit is an extremely traumatic experience for children. Family psychologist Lesley Foulkes-Jamison says that children who are products of “high-conflict” divorce can have an especially difficult time adjusting to the changes in their lives. “Boys, in particular, are likely to display marked behavior problems” when discord between parents exists.
Statistics
Mothers usually run single-parent households, making fathers “second adults” in their children’s lives and therefore “only incidental to the development of a child,” according to the Georgia Association of Homes and Services for Children. The Association states that studies confirm that children who are raised in fatherless homes are at a distinct disadvantage from children who aren’t products of divorce. The group reports that 85 percent of all juveniles who are in prisons were raised in fatherless homes. According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Statistics, Survey on Child Health, a fatherless child is at a "dramatically greater risk" of suicide and criminality.
Significance
Divorce can produce an unstable environment for a child. The instability can lead to resentment toward the parents and an inability to acclimatize to the changes, says Foulkes-Jamison. She states that if his parents are struggling to handle the stress of divorce, the child faces additional challenges in the transition. A child who has an existing “difficult temperament” suffers significantly more, Foulkes-Jamison says, when there are “disruptions in routine and when their parents experience increased stress and demands.”
Causes
Witnessing spousal abuse in the marriage or falling victim to emotional, physical or sexual abuse can exacerbate the feelings of fear and anger that a child may experience in divorce. Observing conflict between her parents can inspire intense anxiety, fear of the unknown and her confusion in the divorce process may therefore transform into violence, says Dr. Sara Eleoff of The Penn State College of Medicine. According to the Advocates for Human Rights, “boys who witness domestic violence were more likely to batter their partners as adults and abuse their own children.”
Effects
Children of divorce are more prone to suffer from anxiety, depression and self-esteem issues. As a result, a child may fear powerless in his situation, and may therefore attempt to find control through violence. Robert Hughes, associate professor and extension specialist in the Department of Human Development and Family Science at Ohio State University says that children from divorced families “are more likely to be aggressive and get in trouble with school authorities or the police.” As adolescents, he says that they’re more likely to engage in “delinquent activities and experiment with illegal drugs.” A child of divorce is more vulnerable to becoming a victim of violence, or a perpetrator of violent acts on himself and others, says Hughes.
Expert Insight
After the divorce, a parental involvement is vital to the child’s adjustment, says Foulkes-Jamison. Many children can recover from the pain of divorce over the course of a few months or years, but she says, some children will continue to have issues with adapting to the changes into adulthood. Because they are more cognizant of divorce, adolescents, she says, are confronted with the challenge of finding their own identities amidst the pain and confusion of their parent’s divorce. She states that a parents’ “sensitivity to their child's needs is one of the most important factors in facilitating adjustment.”
References
- Wefare Watch of the Georgia Association of Homes and Services for Children: June 21, 2010 - Father's Day, More than About a Day
- @ Health: Divorce and Children: An Interview with Robert Hughes, Jr, PhD
- Clinical Psychology Associates of North Central Florida: The Effects of Divorce on Children
- The Advocates for Human Rights: Effects of Domestic Violence on Children
- Child Advocate: An Exploration of the Ramifications of Divorce on Children and Adolescents
