The impact of divorce on children - Research Paper Example

Most couples separate after a considerable period of marital upheaval, so it may be more accurate to think of divorce as a series of interrelated events rather than a single, easily categorized experience. (Emery, 2004) The effects which have been noted in children varied considerably with several factors including but not limited to a child's age, their gender, and even the number of siblings in their family. Being such a complex issue, it is not always a simple matter to tease apart individual correlations, to say nothing of ultimate causes, of divorce outcomes.

Several impacts of parental separations are immediate and obvious, such as changes in the child's living arrangements or financial situation. Others are more difficult to quantify, such as the effects divorce may have on the emotional states of children, their senses of self, their friendships or their later intimate relationships. The number of children who experience their parents' divorce each year has been rising for some time, and is now recognized as a significant public health issue. (Wolchik et al., 2002) It is extremely difficult to quantify the full impact of divorce on children for several reasons.

According to Cowan and Cowan, most studies of divorce's impact on children have the following notable flaws: 1) They were begun after the divorce or separation had occurred; 2) Most studies do not assess the impact of parents in a highly conflicted relationship who stay together, instead comparing only married and divorced parents; 3) Divorce can have a positive effect on some lives, while it has a negative effect on others. Research has not yet managed to explain under what circumstances a divorce will have a negative or positive impact (nor the extent of that impact) on children.

(Cowan & Cowan, 2006) It has been well-documented that divorce can have a decidedly negative impact on a child's mental health well into adulthood. As long as 30 years after the separation of their parents, adults who were children when their parents divorced may continue to experience anxiety, depression, and trouble connecting intimately in their lives with spouses or their own children. (Estimates of the number of children who experience divorce each year vary widely, but most agree that at least one million children see their parents divorce each year, joining the over 40 million children and adults whose parents have already separated.

(Emery, 2004) “Parental divorce is experienced by 1.5 million children each year in the United States” according to Wolchik et al. (2002) Custody is a common source of stress for children and adults when a couple with children decide to separate. “Tragically, it rarely works out very well. It is usually extremely difficult for the parents to work out a satisfactory arrangement, and even more difficult for them to fully abide by whatever arrangement is made. And when the situation is problematical for them, this inevitably causes the children to suffer.

” (Meyerhoff, 2005) Later Meyerhoff calls joint custody, an agreement which arranges for both parents to share equal custody of a child, “a failed experiment,” but says that most parents become extremely distressed when primary custody is awarded to their partner. (Meyerhoff, 2005) Children of divorce often continue to suffer for many years after the custody disputes have been settled.