The Effects Of Divorce On Children - Annotated Bibliography Example

The Effects of Divorce on Children Fabricius, W.J., Breeden, C., Olkin, R., & Taube, D. (2007). Post-divorce living arrangements for children. Journal of Family Psychology, 21, 195-205. In this article the authors attempted to study the bio-psychological model whereby the effect of divorce on the long-term relationship of young adults with their fathers was studied. It also studied the manner in which the ongoing distress in the family affected the young adults, and how the divorce of their parents mediated the relationship between disrupted parenting. Through this study the authors have also attempted to study the exposure of children to parental conflict prior to divorce as well as post the divorce and how such exposure has affected their physcial and mental health and well-being. For the purpose of this study a group of university students whose parents were divorced before the age of 16 were examined. The findings revealed that the relationship of children who had spent more time with their fathers after the divorce was better in the long run, regardless of the parent conflict. It also revealed that those who were exposed to parental conflict for a longer time had troubled relationship with their fathers in the long run and they appeared to be distressed about the divorce, as well as about the independent time they spent with their fathers. Furthermore it also revealed that poor father – child relationship led to poor health status of the children. Forehand, R., Nicholas, L., & Brody, G. (1988). Divorce and marital conflict: Relationship to adolescent competence and adjustment in early adolescence . In E.M. Hetherington & J.D. Arasteh (Eds.). Impact of divorce, single parenting, and stepparenting on children . (pp. 155-167). Hillsdale, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. This study illustrates the various issues faced by adolescent children of divorced parents. It studies and explains the manner in which they try to cope with the dynamic world around them and highlights the need for a safe and secure home which assures them of stability and a hospitable environment, which is not disrupted by any kind of conflict or clashes. This particular study offers valuable information about the adjustments these children are made to undergo and the challenges they face as part of growing up and at the same time coping with broken relationships of their parents. This study is mostly based on the very first year after divorce and is short term in nature. The long term consequences of divorce on adolescents are not covered in this study. Ganong, L. H., & Coleman, M. (1999). Changing families, changing responsibilities : Family obligations following divorce and remarriage. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. This study aims to examine the issues faced by families post divorce and remarriage and its impact on children. The issues studied, include the moral values and beliefs, family relationships, as well as care giving. This book has included various credible references to studies conducted in this regard which helps in giving a valuable insight on the topic and broadens ones perspective on the issue. The outcomes of this study have been used by various professionals involved in the study of psychology. In all there are thirteen studies included in this book, which are aimed at studying the plight of children of divorced parents, the changing dynamics of modern day families and its overall impact on their development. Hetherington, E. M. (1999). Coping with divorce, single parenting, and remarriage: A risk and resiliency perspective. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc. The authors have discussed the manner in which individuals - children as well as parents, cope with divorce. It discusses various aspects of divorce such as single parenting as well as remarriage and its effect on children. The whole issue is discussed and explained in a very simple yet comprehensive manner. The authors have deliberately included a wide range of research articles and included various references in their study to lend credibiity to the study and broaden the perspectives of both the study itself as well as the readers. It legitimizes the claims made since articles supporting as well as refuting various claims made by a range of authors and researchers is included in this study. The issues mentioned earlier, are discussed from all possible angels which makes the study fair and believable. The study also includes interactions of the authors with individuals as well as families who have faced such situations. Hetherington, E.M., Anderson, E.R., & Hagan, M.S. (1991). Divorce: Effects on adolescents . In R.M. Lerner, C. Petersen, & J. Brooks-Gunn (Eds.). Encyclopedia of adolescence . (pp. 237-240). New York: Garland Publishing. The authors here, have discussed at length the various experiences as well as reactions of adolescents of divorced parents. It includes an insight into the manner in which such children try to cope with situations around them, whether they are able to adapt to the changing circumstances, whether divorce of their parents affect them right away or it has a long term effect on them etc. In all, it makes a good read and provides valuable information about the manner in which adolescents try to cope with divorce. Their experiences provide a sound basis of deriving inferences about such a phenomenon which can further be used to assist such children. Kaplan, L., & Hennon, C. B. (2002). Splitting custody of children between parents: Its impact on siblings and the extended family. Newsweek, 114, 131-144. This article throws light on the impact of divorce on children and specially the manner in which it affects relationship between siblings. Through this article the authors have focused on an aspect of divorce - i.e. split custody, whereby each parent is assigned physical and legal custody of one or more of their children. The outcome of this study indicates that such custody results in good parenting as both the parents remain involved in their childrens upbringing. They further state that such a situation helps them in improving the possibility of better relationships between the parents since both of them are interested in giving the best possible environment to their children and remain co-operative with each other even after divorce. Such cooperation is considered as healthy for the children of divorced parents and helps them in adjusting with their changed environment in a better manner. Krantzler, M., & Krantzler, P. B. (2003). Moving beyond your parents divorce. Chicago: Retrieved March 26, 2008 from Net Library This book primarily aims at challenging and refuting the argument put forward by certain authors who claim that divorce is merely a myth. It further aims to investigate into the claims made by various researchers which claim that regardless of any given situation, the children of divorced parents are eventually going to face severe hardships while growing up. The views presented by the authors are free of any bias and discusses the issue from a neutral perspective. This book has undertones of self empowerment as a dominant theme. However one of the major drawbacks of this book is the lack of references, which leads to a lack of credibility of the claims made. The points discussed however, attempt to illustrate the view that in a dynamic world of twenty first century, the rates of divorce is rapidly rising. Hence the number of couples splitting up is rising, and has become a relatively common phenomenon. Thus on the basis of this argument the authors have claimed that contrary to popular beliefs, it may not be all that difficult for children of divorced parents to cope with such situations and may in fact emerge stronger as adults. This argument is supported by a range of instances, examples and reasons, although the same is not backed up with scientific research, which is one of the major drawbacks of this book. Paxton, R., Valois, R., & Drane, J. (2007). Is there a relationship between family structure and substance use among public middle school students? Journal of Child & Family Studies, 16(5), 593-605. This article is a part of a university study whereby the authors have carried out research on a group of university students belonging to diverse backgrounds, segregated on the basis of race and gender. This is done to ensure that the outcome of this study is valid and that generalizations could be made. The study is mainly aimed at psychologists and could be used for further research to study the developmental issues faced by children based on their gender or race. This study mainly focuses on the issues faced by children of divorced parents, which is very essential for my study, and hence I found this book to be of great relevance and important for my research. Pfeffer, C.R. (1981). Developmental issues among children of separation and divorce . In I.R. Stuart & L.E. Abt (Eds.). Children of separation and divorce: Management and treatment . (pp. 19-32). Atlanta: Van Nostrand Reinhold. This author has attempted to investigate the impact of divorce on children and on their overall growth and development. It seeks to understand the manner in which divorce of parents, affect the child’s physical and mental development and also signifies the need for further research on this matter. Wallerstein, J.S., & Shauna, B.C. (1988). Children of divorce: A 10-year Study . In E.M. Hetherington and J.D. Arasteh (Eds.). Impact of divorce, single parenting, and stepparenting on children . (pp. 197-212). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Various studies in the past have highlighted the impact of divorce on children. These authors have challenged some of the views presented in earlier studies by researchers, by refuting the widely popular belief that the older children are likely to be affected more by divorce as compared to younger ones. They have further claimed that among the older children, girls entering into adulthood are far more likely to be affected by divorce than boys in the same age group. The study further indicates a strong association between the outcome of the child and the level and quality of relationship between the parent and child before divorce and between the step-parent and child after divorce. Williams, D. A. (1987). Psychological effects of custody disputes on children in the United States and Canada. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 9, 399-418. This article studies the behavior of various boys and girls in the age group of eight to twelve, from selected private secular and parochial schools. All the children studied belonged to middle and upper middle class families. This study primarily focused on comparing the attitudes and behavior of children of divorced parents, in joint and sole physical custody. Factors such as the level of conflict between the parents were studied in the process, in order to ascertain the impact of such conflicts on the children in joint or sole custody. The findings indicated that no significant difference was found in the behavior and development of children in either joint or sole physical custody. Read More