The Possible Consequences for Children Whose Parents Got Divorced

Divorce is a hard thing to deal with for all members of the family. For kids, trying to understand the changing dynamics of the basic unit of society can leave them distracted and confused.

Numerous studies have determined that parental separation and divorce are associated with various negative outcomes for young ones and adolescents across multiple domains. Parental divorce is also associated with earlier life transitions as offspring enter young adulthood and later life. Children who have parents dealing with divorce are more likely to experience poverty, educational failure, early and risk of sexual activity- non-marital childbirth, earlier marriage, cohabitation, marital discord, and divorce.

Emotional issues associated with divorce increase during young adulthood. Understanding the magnitude of these problems and the causal mechanisms through which divorce influences these behaviors plays an important social consequence.

A study has found that children in their first or two years after their parents' separation struggle the most and are at most risk for distress, anger, anxiety, and disbelief. On the other hand, kids seem to bounce back as they get used to changes, even small, in their daily routines and grow comfortable with their living arrangements. But others never really seem to return to the normal phase.

Such a small percentage of children may experience ongoing, possibly even lifelong, problems after their parents' divorce, per Very Well Family.

Possible outcome after parents' divorced

Esme Fuller-Thomson, the lead author of the study published in the March 2013 edition of Public Health at the University of Toronto, called the study disturbing as it has been determined that both sons and daughters of divorced families are more likely to start smoking than their friends who never experience the separation. An analysis of 19,000 Americans found that before men turned 18, they had 48 percent higher odds of smoking compared to those with intact families, while women garnered 39 percent higher odds of having the same habit.

Dr. Lisa Strohschein, a sociologist at the University of Alberta, wanted to know what was behind the increase in young ones' prescriptions for Ritalin over the past two decades. She analyzed the collected data from the survey in 2001, conducted between 1994 and 2000, and determined that 5,000 children who did not try using Ritalin and were residing in two-parent households were cross-examined. Over the six years, 13.2 percent of those kids experienced divorce, while children who used Ritalin marked 6.6 percent. Another 3.3 percent of children living in intact households tried using Ritalin. Strohschein recommends that stress from the divorce could have altered the children's mental health and caused a dependence on Ritalin.

Jane Mauldon of the University of California at Berkeley found that kids of divorced parents run a 35 percent risk of developing health issues compared with a 26 percent risk among all children. Mauldon suggested their susceptibility to illness is due to significant stress as their lives change dramatically. Divorce can diminish the availability of health insurance, leading to a loss of elements that contribute to good health, which entails constant adult supervision and a safe environment. Health problems are higher than average during their first four years after the separation and can surely increase in the following years, per The Week.

Read Also: Parental Burnout: Many Parents Experience Overwhelming Exhaustion

Poor academic performance of children

A 2010 study, Effects of Parental Divorce on High School Dropout Rates, found that more than 78 percent of children in two-parent households graduated from high school by age 20. However, only 60 percent of those who went through a big family change, including divorce, death, or remarriage, graduated in the same amount of time. The younger a child is during the separation, the more they may be affected. The more change young ones are forced to go through, such as divorce followed by marrying again, the more they will find finishing school hard.

According to Family Means, the aftermath of divorce on children would be seen in how they perform in school. The more distracted the children are, the more likely they will find it hard to focus.

Related Article: Irreconcilable Differences: 6 Effects Of Divorce On Children