Children and Divorce According to the American Psychological Association about 40 to 50 percent of all married couples in the United States end in divorce. There is no doubt that divorces are becoming more prevalent in today’s society, and the rate is only increasing. Divorce represents one of the most stressful life events for both children and their parents “Each year, about 1 million children experience the divorce of their parents---three times the number of children affected by divorce in the 1950s” (Wilson 19) The increase of divorce in modern society is damaging our children 's emotional development. America’s divorce rate began to shoot up in the 1970s. But why is it progressively becoming so common? Well, there are quite a few factors
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Children’s main conflict created by the separation of their parents is the fear of losing both parents. They fear abandonment, and this fear is not irrational when seen from the child’s perspective; it’s often based on their real life experience. All children are initially fear being separated from their parents, and this fear is heightened by parental divorce. In result, children who experience their parents’ divorce discover that relationships are not permanent and they can be left. Thus anxiety about separation and parental abandonment is one of the most frequent psychological problems during childhood for children who come from divorced parents. This traumatic event may predispose them to react anxiously in daily departures. “First, these fears result from children’s limited concept of time and their undeveloped thinking ability; second, they are caused by their attachment bonds and complete psychological and emotional dependence on parents.” (Teyber 28) Not only does divorce cause the decline in psychological health but it can be responsible for the decline in physical health as well. The developmental disturbance of children isn’t triggered by merely divorce itself, but instead by other risk factors that are associated with it. These factors include: worst levels of physical health, risky behavior, exacerbated psychophysiological responses to stress and weakening of the immune …show more content…
While young children tend to blame themselves for their parents’ divorce, teenagers tend to favor a specific parent and blame the other for the divorce. There are several reasons why many children up to 12 years of age blame themselves for the divorce. “First, children are egocentric in their thinking—that is, they believe that the world revolves around them. In children’s eyes, everything that goes on in the world is happening specifically to them or is caused by them. Furthermore, because of their cognitive immaturity and lack of intellectual development, very young children do not have a clear understanding of cause-and-effect relationships.” (Teyber 61) Preschoolers respond to their parents’ divorce with both anger and sadness. Children in response to the initial shock of marital separation will tend to act younger than their age. They will display this by turning back to behaviors they had previously outgrown, such as sucking their thumbs, carrying a security blanket, asking for a pacifier, hitting their siblings, or needing help to feed themselves. Along with this, children will feel increasingly insecure or anxious. Three-to five-year olds typically have more nightmares, increased bedwetting and fear about leaving the parent when anxious. Young children
Children’s main conflict created by the separation of their parents is the fear of losing both parents. They fear abandonment, and this fear is not irrational when seen from the child’s perspective; it’s often based on their real life experience. All children are initially fear being separated from their parents, and this fear is heightened by parental divorce. In result, children who experience their parents’ divorce discover that relationships are not permanent and they can be left. Thus anxiety about separation and parental abandonment is one of the most frequent psychological problems during childhood for children who come from divorced parents. This traumatic event may predispose them to react anxiously in daily departures. “First, these fears result from children’s limited concept of time and their undeveloped thinking ability; second, they are caused by their attachment bonds and complete psychological and emotional dependence on parents.” (Teyber 28) Not only does divorce cause the decline in psychological health but it can be responsible for the decline in physical health as well. The developmental disturbance of children isn’t triggered by merely divorce itself, but instead by other risk factors that are associated with it. These factors include: worst levels of physical health, risky behavior, exacerbated psychophysiological responses to stress and weakening of the immune …show more content…
While young children tend to blame themselves for their parents’ divorce, teenagers tend to favor a specific parent and blame the other for the divorce. There are several reasons why many children up to 12 years of age blame themselves for the divorce. “First, children are egocentric in their thinking—that is, they believe that the world revolves around them. In children’s eyes, everything that goes on in the world is happening specifically to them or is caused by them. Furthermore, because of their cognitive immaturity and lack of intellectual development, very young children do not have a clear understanding of cause-and-effect relationships.” (Teyber 61) Preschoolers respond to their parents’ divorce with both anger and sadness. Children in response to the initial shock of marital separation will tend to act younger than their age. They will display this by turning back to behaviors they had previously outgrown, such as sucking their thumbs, carrying a security blanket, asking for a pacifier, hitting their siblings, or needing help to feed themselves. Along with this, children will feel increasingly insecure or anxious. Three-to five-year olds typically have more nightmares, increased bedwetting and fear about leaving the parent when anxious. Young children