How your parents' divorce has affected you
Numerous studies have shown that divorce and parental separation are linked to a series of negative consequences for children and adolescents. According to Jennifer E. Lansford, a psychologist at Duke University, "children and adolescents who witness their parents' divorce have higher rates of depression, lower self-esteem, and emotional distress". Additionally, parental separation is commonly associated with academic difficulties, such as lower grades and dropping out of school, as well as increased troublesome behavior, for example, opposing authority figures, fighting, stealing, and alcohol and drug abuse. According to a 1998 report by psychologists in the American Sociological Review "Children of divorce are at higher risk for poverty, school failure, early and risky sexual activity, earlier marriage, and divorce." Therefore, understanding the extent of these issues and the underlying mechanisms by which divorce affects these behaviors, has significant social consequences.
By contrast, nearly three decades of research on the effects of family structure on children's health and well-being indicate that children who live with their married biological parents consistently have better physical, emotional, and academic well-being.
For some children, the separation of their parents is not the hardest part. Rather, it is the accompanying stressors that make divorce the most difficult. Among the additional burdens that make divorce challenging are changing schools, moving to a new home as well as living with a single parent.
Furthermore, financial hardship is not unusual after a divorce. Often families are forced to move into smaller flats or change neighborhoods, often with fewer material resources.
Parental divorce is associated with negative effects, especially in earlier life transitions. "The age of a child can play an important role in divorce. Research suggests that older children are more likely to suffer from their parent's divorce, but younger children suffer more in most cases," says Wanda M. Williams-Owens, a psychologist at the City University of New York.
The Institute of Education at University College London conducted a study examining the emotional impact of separation on 6245 children aged 3 to 14. According to the study, children who witnessed the separation of their parents between the ages of 7 and 14 are 16% more likely to develop behavioural and emotional problems such as anxiety and depression than children whose parents remained together. Results of the study revealed that children aged 7 years and older were the most likely to be affected, while children aged 3 to 7 years exhibited no differences in behavioral and emotional characteristics compared to children whose parents were still together. More specifically, the study discovered that 7-to 14-year-old boys were particularly affected, with an 8% increase in bad behavior and disobedience.
Naturally, each case is unique. Dr. Laura Deegan, a clinical psychologist at Deakin University, points out that, "A child may feel relieved by separation in extreme circumstances — when divorce means less arguing and less stress.“
The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry conducted a longitudinal study on "adolescent adjustment following family changes." The participants were 449 young people who had witnessed parental divorce or separation between the ages of 0 and 18. Approximately 44% of participants had encountered parental divorce during their primary school years, aged 5-11 years. About 19% had experienced it during the preschool years, ages 0-4, and about 37% during secondary school, ages 12-18. Dr. Laura Deegan highlights, "The findings from this longitudinal cohort study point to factors that may increase the likelihood that a young person will develop depressive symptoms or antisocial behavior for example increased levels of conflict between parents, decreased parental warmth, decreased parental supervision, negative emotional reactivity, and anxious personality traits, and poor social skills, following parental separation in childhood."
In general, we know very little about the consequences that parental divorce or separation has on children's well-being, therefore I consider it essential to raise awareness about these issues.