Divorce and Its Effects on Children :: Divorce Children Marriage Kids Essays

Divorce in our society has become progressively common. Fifty percent of all marriages will end in dissever and each year 2 million tiddlerren argon bracingly introduced to their nurtures separation, (French). Demographers forecast that by the beginning of the next decade the majority of the youngsters under 18 will spend part of their childhood in single- conjure up families, many created by separate. During this confusing period of turmoil and high emotional intensity, the child moldiness attempt to understand a complex series of events, to restructure numerous assumptions and expectations about themselves and their world. He or she may be uprooted to a new school, city or neighborhood leaving their familiar social ties behind. They must(prenominal) often assume new household duties, possibly feel the m nonpareiltary loss and most importantly receive less support and nurturing from their parents. These are just a few implications of divorce but demonstrates how it changes the lives of children. Each child is unique, so the short and long term functioning of the children after divorce varies widely. Wallerstein and Kelly (1980) observed and interviewed parents and children three cartridge holders in five years, and reported an bet of one thirdly of the children come out of divorce unharmed. Another one third function adequately, but experience difficulties, and the remaining one third have severe upsets in their developmental process. However the authors of the Family in variety, approach this finding with caution because the conclusions were made without comparing the children of two parent families. Never the less they do note there are overall trends in the functioning of children after divorce. The areas most often discussed are quick-witted performance, juvenile delinquency and aggression, social and emotional well-being and cognition and perception, (A & J Skolnick p. 349). Most research shows that boys are more vulnerable than girls to d ivorce relate stress and recover more slowly. A. and J. Skolnick offer the possibility that living with the foeman sex is more difficult than with the same sex and because the custodial parent is often the mother, boys are exposed to this situation more often. Another eyeshot is that girls are likely to be just as troubled by divorce as boys are, but demonstrate their feelings in a means that is more appropriate to their sex role, namely by being anxious, indrawn or very well behaved, (Kaslow and Schwartz p. 164). In examining the data on the cistron of age influencing a childs adjustment to divorce, it seems that older and younger children at the time of separation experience different short term effects, but dower commonalities in the long term effects.