Divorce and the Effects on Children

By: Lucia Parker

                                                      

        Have you or someone you know ever experienced a parental divorce? Parental separation can be detrimental to children' s mental health. Due to divorce becoming easier in states like New York, there are now less reasons for parents to try to work things out for the sake of their children, even when almost all of the evidence suggests it’s better for kids to be raised by both parents. 

         Divorce rates started to go up in the 1980s and 1990s, but since about 2000 divorce rates have gone down. While this may sound great at first, there is still a large number of children in the U.S. being raised by single parents. Today, more than 24 million kids in America live in single-parent households, typically with their mom. This means 24 million kids who either have to go through big changes in their lives, such as splitting time on weekends or during the week and having to go back and forth between parents, or never having lived with both parents altogether. When parents are not together, either because of divorce or by parents separating, children are negatively impacted.

According to a study, a projected 40% of minors in America will experience a parental divorce before they turn 18. That would mean a very large number of children with divorced parents. Researchers also found that children with divorced parents showed a 39% increase in risk of mental health issues. These mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, can dramatically alter a child’ s life and even cause physical harm to them. Another study in the UK showed a 16% rise in emotional problems and an 8% rise in conduct disorders among children aged seven to fourteen. This means that divorce could cause behavioral problems in children. Studies show that kids who have the best outcomes, such as fewest mental health problems,  were far more likely to live with both of their parents. 

Although this is an ongoing problem that can have very negative effects on a child’ s mental health, there are things that parents can do to minimize the negative effects. If parents continue to work together and prioritize their children’ s well-being, it will greatly reduce stress and anxieties for their kids. Something that parents can do that may help their children cope with the divorce is let them know that the divorce is not their fault. Some kids may worry that they were the cause of the divorce and take it upon themselves to mend their parents' broken relationship, so knowing that they are not the cause of the divorce can take some weight off of their shoulders. Peaceful co-parenting will make things easier for everyone involved.

Parents can also avoid saying negative things about the latter in front of their children. Divorce already causes children to spend less time with each of their parents. Dragging your ex’s name through the dirt can cause irreparable damage to their relationship with the other parent. By maintaining a friendly relationship with the other parent of your child, you can avoid severing the relationship that your child has with them. Research has shown that children maintaining relationships with their parents is beneficial, so encouraging the relationship that your child has with your ex would ensure that you are putting your children first.

While parents may find it difficult to cooperate, the best outcomes for children are when their parents are married and stay married. Parents who plan on divorcing should work together to make their divorce as peaceful as possible for the good of their children and prioritize raising their children to be successful adults when they are older. Sometimes marriages will fall apart, but they should not be easily breakable. Even if they fall apart, parents should continue to prioritize the well-being of their children, as divorce can bring so many changes into children’ s lives.