Divorce: Impacts On A Child's Development

Although divorce can be a trying and difficult time for families, children can express varies reactions while struggling with the family crisis. While in these types of situations, children’s behavior can vary from child to child. This type of devastation can present trajectories in a child’s skills, abilities, and tendencies during the early stages of life (Broderick, Patricia C.; Blewit, Pamela, 2015) in which a child may react in a natural and understanding way or struggle with the shift of the family dynamics.

Children of divorced households tend to perform worse in school, present more behavioral problems, score lower on psychological and emotional well-being testing, have lower self-esteem, and show to have more problematic social relationships then their counterparts (Klein Velderman, M.,Cloostermans, A.P.G., Pannebakker, F.D., 2014).

Because each child is different, alternative steps must be taken while dealing with individual children when these circumstances occur. While some methods have been proven useful, others may not work. According to Golombok, 40% of children find themselves in single-parent households during their school-age years leaving the “present” parent to focus not only on the wellbeing of the child (ren) but also provide economic and social support (Golombok, 2014).

Children tend to prosper better when they are raised in a two-parent biological household in which the marriage is healthy, positive, satisfying, stable, and low in conflict.

In the event of separation within the parental units, reports have shown that children between the ages of 5-15 years of age internalize and externalize behavioral problems after the divorce.

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If the post-divorce home environment is less supportive and stimulating, the active parent may express signs of being depressed and less sensitive to the child(ren) resulting in children having more behavioral problems (Weaver, J. M., Schofield, T. J., 2015) compared to a unified parental operational system. The effects can be noticed, long-term, as children are pressured by their peers, technology, and in some extreme cases, have been known to go down a darker road and develop an interest in drugs, and other unlawful behaviors. If in fact, parents are unable to keep their marriage together, evidence suggest that even if both parents have on in other relationships, sharing joint physical custody resulted in children being able to develop and keep a closer relationship with each parent as well as have a better emotional outcome (Sodermans, K., Matthijs, K., Swicegood, G., 2013) resulting in a child(ren) being fully aware of all the support factors he/she has throughout their growing lives.

When a child(ren) encounters the negative consequences of divorce, it is an enormous challenge in which the child(ren) tend(s) to demonstrate signs of being overwhelmed, self-blaming, misconceptions, inaccurate attributions, fears of abandonment, and feelings of isolation (Sodermans, K., Matthijs, K., Swicegood, G., 2013). As these signs are being displayed in child(ren) at a young age, or from the beginning of the traumatic experience, they are more likely to cope with the situations more easily than if this approach is not taken with them in mind. It is highly essential for both parents and possibly the step parents to be on the same side for the sake of the child(ren), throughout their growth into an adult. This is important as child(ren) will benefit most efficiently from both sides, with a clear understanding that no matter which way they go, they will have full support from all aspects of parental influences.

Technology has also affected the ways in which children are learning and developing into adults as well. These wonderful devices that seem to make our lives so much better can also destroy and corrupt our very ways of living if we allow them to. It is very important, as a parent to be fully aware of the dangers of technology as well as all the benefits that come along with it. In such, it is also of the utmost importance that we teach our future generations of all the dangers they may/will face when putting themselves out there for the open world to see and read. Not everyone is whom they portray to be when reading a biography or a profile; and others will say and tell you just about anything you may want to hear in order to get what they can out of you.

In this way and various others, the internet can/is a very dangerous place for children to tread, especially the younger more influenced ones, who have a more difficult time recognizing the dangers for what they actually are. When taught about the rights/wrongs of the world wide web, children have been known to be more cautious about giving personal information out to complete strangers than otherwise. It is equally the parent(s) responsibility to be more aware of the things their particular child(ren), are surfing the internet for. Whether that be online video gaming, social networking, etc., every login has its own potential dangers and outcomes.