The Effect of Divorce on Children - Admission/Application Essay Example

The Effect of Divorce on Children 1) Divorce has become a very common avenue for married couples who eventually find it difficult to live together in one home. Because of this, there are now traditional families and non-traditional ones, i.e. single parents and children living with grandparents. Most of the people who do not support divorce claim that the act does not have a good effect on the children of the couple. This may be true. Studies have shown that the separation and consequent divorce of a child’s parents would have a lasting impression on the child emotionally, psychologically and/or socially. In this article, the researchers review and weigh evidence from completed experiments on the effect of divorce on children. The researchers hypothesize that the well-being of children brought up without both of the biological parents will be lower than those in a traditional nuclear family. Also, the researchers propose that these negative effects on the children’s well-being will be more serious if the absence of the parents is due to marital separation, divorce or desertion. The researchers studied existing evidence guided by characteristics of social and psychological well-being such as personal adjustment, self-concept, interpersonal relationships, anti-social behaviour and cognitive functioning. According to the article, extensive research has been done on some variables while others were not given much attention. After collecting other studies, the researchers then created tables to summarize the previous research done on each of the characteristics. Based on their own study of previous experiments, the researchers discovered that the living with or without one’s biological parent or parents do not generally affect a child’s well-being. It was found out that developmental needs may be fulfilled by another person if a parent is not present. Also, it was discovered that divorce does not necessarily leave more adverse effects on the children of a separated couple. In fact, in some cases reviewed, dealing with divorce had made some children be more well-rounded, confident, mature and responsible because of the additional roles they may need to fulfil. As the researchers found out, the consequence of divorce is not the same for all children as there are other factors involved before and after the divorce such as the characteristics of the children and the characteristic of the family. Additionally, the research also discovered that there are many limitations to previous studies to have a definite understanding of the effects of divorce on children. This study is very important in the field of psychology because society, as much as possible, does not want any harm to come to children. As such, there exist numerous researches to understand social problems which may have an adverse effect on a child’s well-being. Accordingly, steps are undertaken to counter any adverse effect if the source cannot be manipulated. The finding in this article may shed light on treatment already in place for children of divorced parents. Also, the finding may facilitate better understanding between parent and child because as the article stated the effect of divorce is not the same for every child. Reference: Demo, David H and Acock, Alan C. “The Impact of Divorce on Children.” Journal of Marriage and the Family. 50 (1998): 619-648. Wiley-Blackwell. PDF file. 2.) An individual’s motor skills start to develop in infanthood. A sign of development, babies start to roll over, sit without help, crawl and then walk. These happen in stages. Usually, each of these milestones happens every 3 months once the baby reaches the 6-month mark. As the baby grows older though, his or her motor skills may not be as polished as other children’s. In this article, the researchers wanted to find out if there was a connection between engaging in physical activity and a child’s motor ability. The answer to this question is important because some children are often pressured to engage in physical activities they may not be enthusiastic about. This attitude may be due to the poor motor proficiency. The researchers hypothesize that a child with good motor abilities will be more inclined to be physically active than one who has poor motor skills. Researchers studied children aged 8-10 years old for seven days. There were 34 girls and 31 boys participated. The children were healthy and did not have any condition which could hinder motor skills or physical activity. A parent/guardian to help each child if needed was allowed. Children were asked to answer a 20-question survey about their opinions on their capacity to perform and desire to join physical activities. Parents were asked to complete questionnaires about the environment in the home and their socioeconomic status. The children and parents were then left to continue their daily routine. The children’s motor abilities were then tested using an accelerometer and a standardized assessment form. Time spent active and asleep were recorded. Children were told to wear the accelerometer for a minimum of 10 hours per day. Removal and putting on of the accelerometer were recorded. After their experiment, the researchers found out that motor ability does have a direct association with physical activity. Those children who involved themselves in physical activities were the same participants who scored higher in the test for motor abilities. Moreover, it was also discovered that children who had low opinions of their motor skills had poorer coordination and engaged in fewer physical activities. It was deemed by the researchers, however, that children with good motor skills may have more chances to engage in physical activities as compared to those with low motor abilities. The results were also consistent with other findings because participants who had greater body mass participated in fewer activities, had poorer motor proficiency and more rest time. The finding of this study is important in psychology because educators and doctors can come up with steps on how to make children with low motor skills participate more in physical activities. Also, parents and the field of science can create physical activities that may help children who are obese and overweight. It has been said that children who do not engage in regularly physical activities are likely candidates for obesity and being overweight. The result of this study can hopefully shed insight to why some children do not like sports or particular activities. Instead of forcing them to participate, parents who have read this study will understand their child better and be geared to finding other physical activities their child might like. Reference: Wrotniak, Brian H., Epstein, Leonard H., et al. “The Relationship Between Motor Proficiency and Physical Activity in Children.” PEDIATRICS. 118.6 (2006): e1758-e1765. Web. 4 December 2012. Read More