...Is Divorce A Good Or Bad Thing? Introduction Divorce is defined as a marriage ending before any of the spouses die. According to dictionary.com, “divorce is a judicial declaration dissolving a marriage in whole or in part, especially one that releases the husband and wife from all matrimonial obligations.” Some countries in which divorce has become commonplace are the United States and South Africa. Divorce is not considered as big a deal today as it has been in the past. There has been an increase in divorce. Some people believe that the age of a child is an important factor in determining the impact divorce may have on a child (Beekman, 1986). Some also believe that, gender has an impact on the reaction to divorce on both children and parents (Whitton, Rhoades, Stanley, & Markman, 2008). Others believe that the impact divorce may have on parents is when they have less personal relationship commitment to their own marriage and are less confident in their own ability to maintain a happy marriage (Whitton, Rhoades, Stanley, & Markman, 2008). People may also believe that the communities that surround the family unit may be the cause of divorce (Wolfinger, 2005). One of the positive reasons for divorce is that women are becoming dependent and working in many different workforces (Jennifer, 2010). The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of divorce. In order to do this, the paper is divided in two sections. The first section will examine the...
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...assignment, you are now asked to identify three ways in which you can support that point of view. For example: Topic: Children of Divorce Points of View: Chidren should not be exposed to negativity by either parent during a divorce. Main Points of Support: • Children develop an increase in negative behavior after a difficult divorce. • Children show a decline in academic skill and ability after a divorce. • Children experience financial strain from living in a single parent household after a divorce. Step Two Create a thesis statement by using your selected topic, point of view, and main points in the following formula: Identify your specific and narrowed research topic. This is A. Identify your opinion or position on the research topic. This is B. Identify at least three main points that would support this opinion or position. This is C. The way this looks, when it's all said and done, is: A+B+C= Thesis Statement. For example: A = Children of divorce B = Difficult divorces should not impact children in a negative way. C = Negative impact on a child can include financial strain, poor behavior or a decline in academic skills. Once corrected for readability and grammar, it might read as: In comparison to children within a two parent household, a difficult divorce can have negative impact on a childs financial situation, behavioral skills and academic peformance. Step Three Using the work you compiled...
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...Does Divorce Have Devastating Impacts on Children? Divorce is a hard pill to swallow no matter what age a child is. Children are like sponges they soak up everything. The immediate impacts that divorce has on children are loneliness, fear and worry, sadness, anger, guilt, and the feeling of being rejected (Riggs & Tweedell 2010). The long term effects are a child’s social development meaning maintaining friendships may become hard especially ones with the opposite sex, which in the end can lead to a lot of unhealthy relationships because children are trying to fill a void that was once there. Not only this but some reports have proven that children who come from divorced homes are more than likely to become divorced themselves (Arreola, J. 2013). Some parents’ really do not realize that divorce can cause children to feel guilt or embarrassed of what they are going through with their family. It affects them emotionally causing them to have behavior issues in and out of school. This can lead to the child dropping out of school or finding comfort in other activities such as drugs or alcohol. An article by Lauren Hansen called 9 Negative Effects Divorce Reportedly Has on Children stated, “In 2009, the law firm Mishcon de Reya polled 2,000 people who had experienced divorce as a child in the preceding 20 years. And the results did not paint a positive picture of their experiences. The subjects reported witnessing aggression (42 percent), were forced to comfort an upset parent...
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...Research Paper: The Impact of Divorce on Children Jimmy Trolinger Liberty University On-Line Author Note Jimmy Trolinger, Psychology Student at Liberty University Prepared for Professor Jennifer Kennedy Psychology 210 D-12 Liberty University Abstract Divorce causes many problems for children and has many implications. Psychological implications include mental health problems and behavioral problems. Social roles are turned inside out and upside down. Children are often pulled in many directions. In the United States divorce is very common and often leaves children confused and without options. Many turn toward violence, crime, drugs, and isolation. Studies show how adults can reduce the tension for these children. Other studies show how we can help guide them through religious implications as well as legal problems. Parents and caregivers need to be able to identify and know how to help children with their psychological, social, religious, and legal issues in this critical and chaotic period of the child’s life. How Divorce Affects Our Children Researchers have done many research projects and studies on how divorce can affect children. Many problems can develop in a child during and following a divorce as well as the period of pre-divorce. Some of the problems that a child can have before during and after a divorce are mental health, behavioral, social, and religious problems. Psychologists, councilors, teachers, and parents...
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...consequences of divorce for children? Jimmy Beltran Devry University What are the possible consequences of divorce for children? I am writing this paper in response to the Journal of Marriage and Family titled, “Estimating the Effects of Parental Divorce and Death with Fixed Effects Models” by Amato, Paul and Anthony, Christopher. Amato and Christopher provide an inciting perception in support of a controversial issue that affects modern society. Amato and Christopher (2014) argue in support of the perception that increasing cases of divorces have a negative effect on children growth. In their research, Amato and Christopher (2014) use child fixed effect model to approximate the impacts of parent divorce in various outcomes. Two sets of data form the basis for this research. First, the researcher utilizes Kindergarten Cohort Early Childhood Longitudinal Study. The second approach involves the use of National Educational Longitudinal Study. The first model targets children below the fifth grade while the second, children between 5th and 8th grade. In both models, the researcher associated divorce with negative effects on children. In the second analysis, Amato and Christopher (2014) established a substantial variability degree in children’s outcome after parental divorce, as some children improved while others declined in health. The approximated impacts of divorce seemed to be strongest among children with the highest vulnerability to parental divorce. As...
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...Impact of Divorce on Children March 23, 2014 PSYC 210 How does divorce impact the lives of children? Will the children be fine with the decision or will they have some sort of breakdown. Divorce can effect children differently depending on the ages of the children at the time. For example a child that is two, who would not understand the concept of divorce but may understand that there is tension in the house. After the divorce, although it may take a few months’ things will become normal. Whereas if the child was ten then a divorce would cause some behavioral issues and issues in school. If the divorce impacts the child negatively will the children have negative views on marriage and if so will children those chose not to marry? Each child handles divorce differently depending on age and gender, the long term effects also differ from child to child. These are the questions I hope to answer in my research paper. According to researchers fifty percent of first marriages end in a divorce. The percentage rates for second and third marriages are even higher, between sixty and seventy percent. Although marriages with children have a lower divorce rate there is still a twenty to thirty percent rate of divorce between married couples with children. Fifty percent of children are from divorced families. Children who are from a divorced family generally have a greater chance of getting a divorce when they marry as well. Most...
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...The Effects of Divorce on Children Christopher M Quinn Developmental Psychology Liberty University Abstract This research paper will attempt to shed light of the very real issue of the effects of divorce on children in the United States and abroad. It is estimated that currently fifty-three percent of all marriages in the United States end in divorce or other less than amicable methods; of these marriage dissolutions, seven out of ten involve children. This paper will attempt to connect the negative psychological impacts that are attached to the lives of children especially in the vulnerable early developmental stages of a child’s life. This research paper will pull from many different reputable sources that include a prominent university, psychiatric journals, and accredited psychology research papers. Today in the United States of America over fifty percent of all marriages, no matter what religion joined the couple, end in a divorce or less than amicable circumstances. There have been many theories presented over time as to why divorce occurs and why these rates have increased so dramatically over the last forty years. Some believe that the economy may play a role; others believe that the length of the engagement or relationship plays an important part; the couple living together prior to marriage “increases” the chance that divorce will result; or not cohabitating prior to marriage may contribute as the transition period is too stressful; still others believe...
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...study looks into the effects that divorce and marital conflict can cause on adult-child relationships. It takes into effect the separate genders of both the parents and the children affected. The conflicts and divorces were measured while the children were between the ages of 5 and 17. The quality of the relationships between each parent and his or her child was based upon support, closeness, and control. They hypothesis was that the relationships would be stronger within families that remained together. Furthermore, the relationships with the mothers would be even greater. The researchers used a correlational research method to determine how divorce and marital conflict impact the life and development of a child’s life and how he or she relates to each parent individually. The participants were in kindergarten in either 1987 or 1988. The parents were randomly asked to participate in the study during preregistration for kindergarten. There were 585 students to start with, and the gender ratio was 52%-48% in favor of boys. When the participants were at the age of 22, 440 of them completed more information about their current relationships with their parents. Marital conflict and divorce had a negative correlation on the quality of parent-child relationships. It also caused a negative correlation in the chances of risking developmental and emotional problems within the child’s life. “Parental divorce appeared to have a negative influence on the quality of parent-adult...
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...The Impact of Divorce on Children A Review how Divorce Impact Children under 18 Liberty University Abstract The purpose of this research paper is to understand the impact of divorce on children under 18. Each year over million Americans children experience the divorce of their parents, Divorces causes irreparable damage to all involved, but most specifically to the children. A major impact of divorce is on the children and parent relationship. The pain experienced by children is stressful as they see their family brake-down and disconnect as a hole. It take them to a dark place of emotionally and psychologically, thwarting upon the child well – being. Divorce negative impacts individuals and society in numerous other ways, such as religious practice, financial struggles, social skills and life styles, as well as children health and well-being. It is very important for parents to not let their children see any conflicts between them, and be able to co-parent with a line of communication that would be beneficial to the child development and growth. As a parent we all want the best for our children. When adults get married pray to keep their marriage together, until death do them apart. When there are kids involved most parents do their best to keep their family together for the sake of the children. Sadly to say it’s not always that simple, and the children end up suffering from their parents’ divorce. Divorcing parents are usually very concerned about the welfare...
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...Divorce Conflict Hurts Children Christina Henderson DeVry University Divorce Conflict Hurts Children Six year old Olivia stands alone in front of her bedroom window, silent tears streaming down her tiny face. She watches her father put his suitcase in his car and drive away. She does not know what divorce is, but she does know on some internal level, that her life will never be the same. Olivia is right; divorce is a watershed event in the life of a child. Life following a divorce is dramatically changed from how life was before. The purpose of this proposal is to convince divorced parents to stop engaging in hostility and conflict with their ex-wives and ex-husbands so the children do not continue to suffer more. Divorce is commonplace in today’s world; 40 to 50 percent of marriages end in divorce, annulment, or separation (Issitt, 2014, para. 8). Children of divorced parents are at a disadvantage socially, emotionally, and financially, and the effects of divorce on children are amplified by conflict between the parents. As a child of a messy divorce, I know firsthand how harmful parental conflict can be to a child; I still deal with it today, 30 years after my parents’ divorce. I will further establish credibility by including information from Pickhardt (2011), Sedacca (2014), and Whitehead (2013), who are experts on child psychology and divorce. Approximately half of all marriages in the United States now end in divorce, this issue affects millions of people in our country...
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...Department of Justice Ministère de la Justice Canada Canada WORKING DOCUMENT THE EFFECTS OF DIVORCE ON CHILDREN A Selected Literature Review Research and Statistics Division October 1997 WD1998-2e UNEDITED Research and Statistics Division/ Division de la recherche et de la statistique Policy Sector/ Secteur des politiques WORKING DOCUMENT THE EFFECTS OF DIVORCE ON CHILDREN A Selected Literature Review Research and Statistics Division October 1997 WD1998-2e UNEDITED The views expressed in this paper do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Justice Canada. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1 2.0 LIMITATIONS OF THE RESEARCH .............................................................. 3 3.0 FACTORS AFFECTING CHILDREN’S POSTDIVORCE ADJUSTMENT ................. 6 3.1 Child Characteristics............................................................................ 6 3.1.1 Gender ................................................................................. 6 3.1.2 Age at Divorce ....................................................................... 8 3.2 Family Characteristics.......................................................................... 9 3.2.1 Socio-economic Status .............................................................. 9 3.2.2 Ethno-cultural Background...................................................
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...How Divorce Impacts Children Under the Age of 18 F. Jeanpierre Psychology Abstract In this research you will see how divorce impacts children under the age of 18. The effects are not universal. Divorce affects children differently based on their age, personality and sexuality. Divorce affects children both mentally and physically. In this research, you will see how divorce can impact children immediately as well as post divorce. I will start with infants, preschool age children, school-aged and then adolescents. Then you will see how divorce affects children spiritually. Furthermore, you will see how the affect of divorce varies based on the child's gender. Finally, in this research paper, you will see ways to help a child adjust after divorce. Infants The first age group is infants. Not too much is known on the affects of divorce for children under the age of 3. Some have speculated that children under the age of 3 does not always suffer from their parents divorced. Thus, sociologist and psychologist agreed that problems in personality can developed if the child had a strong bond between the parents and those bonds are broken due to the divorce. Professionals highly encourage parents to make arrangements so the potential, full affect of the divorce won’t impact the child as much. The conflict of divorce may not be understood by infants, but they can react to changes in the parent’s level of energy and involvement. Infants can lose their appetite, have an upset...
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...LESSEN THE IMPACT OF DIVORCE Michael Jennings DeVry University Lessen the Impact of Divorce Charlie is 9 years old and lives in a single parent home where the parent works to support the family, where not much time is spent with Charlie, who must figure certain things out on his own. Where does Charlie go after school? If no one is home having Charlie home alone is not a very good option. If siblings or friends are there but, no adult is present during the after school hours, home is still not a very good option. The term “latch-key” kid is one who has their own key to their home and is expected to be home with minimal supervision. Once a child reaches a certain responsible age, being a latch-key kid often makes sense. Charlie must get home safe from school, stay out of trouble, and complete his homework, with little to no adult supervision. After-school activities should be available to Charlie because he may not be responsible enough or his parents may not trust him to be home alone yet. Everyone is affected by the consequences of parental divorce, especially the children involved. In any society, the children are the future. In the United States alone, 40 to 50% of first marriages end in divorce, according to the American Psychological Association. As citizens of the United States, we are all stakeholders of our future and should care about the well-being of all our children, especially those of disadvantaged environments such as parental divorce. Additional resources...
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...Psychological Impact of Divorce on Children Shantay Gonzalez Liberty University Abstract While divorce can most notably affect the adults in the relationship in a negative way, children also have a number of challenges that can be overlooked. Due to their inability to process certain aspects of life, children become susceptible to psychological trauma as a result of the divorce that unfortunately go unnoticed. Many children display antisocial behavior, an increase in externalizing behaviors, poor emotion regulation, and other maladaptive coping styles. While prevention is typically best to avoid potential psychological influences on adults and children alike, many programs have been established to work with children specifically who have been impacted by divorce. Post-divorce interventions focus primarily and solely on the children are necessary to the psychological health of children impacted by divorce. Still, there is a need for improvement in interventions such as preventative programs during the divorce proceedings that will allow the child to express their emotions and social perspectives. Keywords: divorce, children, psychological impact, behavior Psychological Impact of Divorce on Children The cases of divorce have been gaining ground since 1965 (Hetherington, 1979). Even by prior statistical reports, there seems to be no break in the amount of divorce cases filed each year. Couples get divorced for a number of reasons such as financial strain, incompatibility...
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...March 5, 2011 Affects of Divorce on Children Introduction Divorce can have a devastating impact on a family. Children are particularly vulnerable when their parents are divorced. For many years, experts in the field of child psychology and child development have researched the impact of divorce on children. They have found that children of divorce can have a wide range of problems including behavioral, emotional and adjustment difficulties. For the purposes of this discussion, I will explore the impact of divorce on children. According to current data, nearly 51% of all marriages in the United States end in divorce (Love and Murdock , 2008). In addition, the divorce rate began to increase in the 1960’s. Many factors may have contributed to this increase including women feeling a sense of greater independence and ability to support themselves (Love and Murdock, 2008). Along with these factors is the increase in the number of stepfamilies because many who remarry already have children (Love and Murdock, 2008). The introduction of the stepfamily into a divorced situation can lead to even greater problems for children of divorce (Love and Murdock, 2008). Another researcher reports that there are differing opinions concerning the impact of divorce on children. Jeynes (2005) reports some experts believe that most children heal from divorce 2 to 3 years after the divorce has occurred. While others have concluded that the impact of divorce can be seen well into adulthood...
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