The Impact and Effect of Divorce - Essay Example

The Impact and Effect of Divorce Divorce causes mental anguish which contributes to psychological issues for both parties and their children. Depression is a common result of divorce, a condition that initiates a variety of other health concerns. The more contentious the relationship and consequential separation, the worse for all concerned but the children may be most negatively affected. The potentially traumatic event of divorce and the years of distress that follows occur during their developmental years and could potentially cause psychological trauma that affects their lives for many years to come. This discussion briefly examines the growing prevalence and risk groups for divorce then directs attention on the focus of the paper, the dynamics that affect the impact of divorce on all members of the family and the resulting psychological detriments associated with breaking up the family unit. The status of marriage and the cohabitation of couples in general, has changed substantially over the past 80 years or so (Saluter & Lugaila, 1996). In 1920, the divorce rate stood at about 12 percent. In 1960, about a quarter of marriages failed and by 1974, the number jumped to a full third of all marriages ending in divorce (Gutierrez, 1988). In 1996, it was reported that almost half (43 percent) of first marriages ended in either divorce or separation by the15th year of the relationship, according to a study conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (Saluter & Lugaila, 1996). Men responded that inattentiveness of the children and home, mental cruelty, sexual incompatibility and infidelity were the main reasons for filing divorce papers. Women cited mental and physical cruelty, alcohol abuse and financial difficulties. In general, persons in the economic middle class are concerned with emotional and psychological satisfaction. Lower-class couples are concerned more with physical actions of their husbands and financial difficulties within the relationship. Numerous background elements are associated with higher rates of divorce. For instance, couples who are better educated have a lower risk of divorce than do those who are less well educated. Accordingly, “divorce is more common among lower socioeconomic groups than among professional groups” (Gutierrez, 1988). A divorce encompasses many variables, all or some may play a role in contributing to difficulties for children. The loss of daily contact with one parent from the family situation, usually the father, results in the children losing the amount of affection they were receiving when both parents were in the same house. The life-skills, knowledge, and financial resources formerly supplied by the missing parent, whether they are out of their lives on a part or full-time basis is forever lost to the children. Divorce usually means that the children are living with one parent now earning just one salary which creates hardships beyond the emotional crisis of the divorce itself. The stress involved in divorce goes beyond the emotions involved as well. Many children are forced to move to a new, usually less desirable neighborhood, possibly put into a daycare for the first time and must make new friends in an unfamiliar environment. Some are moved father away from the familiarity of the extended family, uncles, aunts, grandmothers, etc. One, some or all of these life-changing events can cause great and lasting amounts of stress for children of all ages. Whether or not the divorce is amicable and the general stability of the parents plays a role in how the children will adjust to the divorce. “Much of what happens to children in general is related to the skill of parents in helping them develop. The competence of parents following divorce is likely to have considerable influence on how the children are doing” (Kelly and Emery, 2003) Divorce defines the termination of marriage but it also terminates the family unit. It is a death of sorts for all involved and grieving is a natural part of the human process following divorce. Children are likely to be surprised when their parents announce they are divorcing more so than the marital partners who have ‘seen this coming’ for a long time. Therefore, the perception for children more closely resembles the shock of an actual death. Divorce causes anxiety, grief and depression for much of the same reasons and degree as does a death. “Loss of a loved one or a marriage can cause depression, and depression is a part of grieving. Grief is an inevitable, universal experience” (“Depression”, 2004). Divorce is a stressful experience for all concerned and the more contentious the divorce, the more intense and enduring the levels of stress. It is well known throughout the medical community and in the general public as well that high amounts of stress induce a somewhat proportionate rise in blood pressure which causes irreparable damage to health if allowed to persist. Stress also leads to a variety of other health-related issues (Bouchez 2005 p. 4). An amicable divorce, one that is conducted in a civilized manner, where the parties have agreed on how the property and time with the children will be divided and involves little or no confrontational displays is still a stressful event for all parties involved. Contentious divorces cause higher levels of stress therefore produce longer lasting residual effects especially with respect to the children. ‘Messy’ divorces commonly bring about many enduring, psychologically scarring emotional feelings such as anger, grief, fear, loneliness, guilt, frustration and thoughts of revenge all of which compound the stress factor and lead to varying degrees of depression. “Contested divorces can result in mental and emotional crisis, to the point of requiring a medical doctor or psychiatrist or psychotherapist and medication” (Roshkind, 2005). Both parties in a contested divorce often suffer the loss of income and acquire debt which exacerbates what is already a tough emotional episode in their lives. The children of a contentious situation who have repeatedly witnessed their parents arguing and/or spousal abuse or possibly been abused themselves due to the poor familial environment are its innocent victims. “The drama of a contested divorce takes its toll on all concerned including children” (Roshkind, 2005). Unfortunately for all concerned, conflict between divorcing parents is frequently the rule rather than the exception. The extent to which parents expose their children to conflict has a significant effect on children’s ability to adjust emotionally to the situation and is a predictor of their future psychological welfare. “Parental conflict has been consistently associated with poor psychological outcomes for children” (Gindes, 1998: p. 18). Children who witness their parents arguing on a continual basis, whether they finally divorce or not, are more prone to display a broad range of destructive behaviors. “Children from high-conflict intact families exhibited lower self-esteem and poorer adjustment than children from divorced families or from low-conflict, intact families” (Gindes, 1998: p. 18). Children of divorces involving high levels of conflict, whose parents are fighting for custody and speaking of their ex-spouse to the children with spiteful words in a hateful tone and encourage alliances with their children against the other spouse is fostering a maladjusted emotional future for their child. This is especially true for girls. “Inter-parental conflict after divorce [for example, verbal and physical aggression, overt hostility, distrust] and the custodial parent’s emotional distress are jointly predictive of more problematic parent-child relationships and greater child maladjustment” (Gindes, 1998: p. 19). A child’s sense of stability and security is undermined, sometimes irrevocably, when their parents divorce. How children view their circumstances and the world around them begins with the stability of their family. It forms the basis for everything else they know to be true. When the family is separated, especially when mom and dad now openly demonstrate hatred for each other, the realities of life children had become psychologically dependent upon begin to disintegrate. Their world no longer makes sense which results in emotional problems prior to, during and long after the divorce proceedings. A review of 92 studies was conducted in 1991 to determine the impact, in any, that divorce has on children. The combined studies included more than 13,000 pre-school to high school aged children. The results concluded that, to no one’s surprise, overall, children from divorced families experienced a lower degree of self-esteem and suffered a greater number of behavioral problems. More of these children, according to the review, were less inclined to exhibit ‘normal’ socialisation skills which resulted in a greater propensity for delinquent behavior such as problems interacting well with their peers, teachers and parents (Amato, 1993). A 2001 update of the study substantiated the earlier findings. According to the 2001 report, 90 percent of teen-aged children from families that were ‘intact’ (not divorced) were “within the normal range on problems while 10 percent had serious problems that we would generally require some type of professional help” (Amato, 2001). Of those children whose parents had divorced, only about 75 percent of boys and 66 percent of girls fell within the norms; the rest, a quarter of boys and a third of girls, were in the “problematic range.” The updated review also concluded “about 40 percent of the young adults from divorced families were doing better than the young people from non-divorced families” (Amato, 2001). From the perspective of the child, the favored scenario following a divorce is that the parents behave amicably toward each other, do not argue in front of their child or speak ill of the other parent. Geographic proximity of the parents is also important for an adequate, healthy adaptation process to occur and encouraging the overall present and future well-being of the children. Divorced parents who are able to live close enough that the children are able to live in the same neighborhood with familiar settings and friends offer the children a better chance to adapt to the dissolution of the family. Of course this describes the ideal situation for children but is often not practical. For example, the mother and children usually retain the house and the father cannot afford to live in the same neighborhood. However, if the ex-spouses could arrange to live close to each other and not air their marital grievances in front of the children, all involved would benefit thus reducing the ill health effects of stress relating to the divorce for all concerned. “These conditions maximize the potential for the child developing strong, positive relationships with both parents as well as for both parents’ involvement in the child’s school and extracurricular activities and for frequent and regular contact with the nonresidential parent” (Gindes, 1998 p. 1). As previously discussed, essentially losing contact with one parent hinders the child’s potential for learning and personal growth. If one or both parents relocate, the needs of the parents conflict with the needs of the child much as the divorce itself did. Divorce produces three life-shattering events for children, one right after the other. The break-up of the family, separation from one parent and being placed in an unfamiliar setting combine to cause stress which manifests itself in a variety of negative ways for a long period of time. This situation isn’t healthy for the parents either. “For the most part, children do not wish to leave the environment in which they live nor do they wish to leave their non-custodial parent, who also does not want them to go” (Gindes, 1998 p. 1). However, if one or both parents cannot keep from fighting in front of the children and speak ill of each other, separation, with all its potential ill effects might actually be the better for the long-term emotional health of the children. “For children caught in highly conflicted post-divorce families, relocation may further lessen their exposure to the parental conflict, thereby reducing the negative consequences of divorce for them” (Gindes, 1998 p. 1) More than one in five children has little or no contact with their non-custodial parent, again, usually the father. Geographic distance is the main reason children become emotionally and physically detached from their fathers after divorce, a situation that causes great stress for both. The parent-child relationship, important to the well-being of both fathers and their children, is greatly lessened when father lives in another neighborhood, town or state. Overwhelming evidence has demonstrated that children who are raised with a father’s positive influence, one who shows interest in his children, are much better off as children and adults. They get into less trouble, make better grades and stand a better chance of being physically, psychologically and emotionally sound as adults. A number of fathers that thoroughly enjoyed their role as parent and enthusiastically involved themselves in their children’s lives from diaper changing to coaching little league and rescheduling their work responsibilities to attend elementary school plays find that sporadic contact very distressing and tends to emotionally withdraw from the children. “Because geographic distance makes it more difficult to maintain the prior level of closeness or to achieve a new level of closeness, relocation may exacerbate the withdrawal of non-custodial fathers” (Gindes, 1998 p. 16). On the other hand, some fathers increase their level of involvement following divorce in part from fear of losing that closeness both children and father have enjoyed and need. The ideal circumstance for children in a situation of divorce is for their parents to act civilized towards each other as well as the children, live in the same neighborhood and continue to interact as normally as the situation permits. The ideal is seldom the reality for most divorced couples. Too often, the conflicts that destroyed the marriage have been loudly broadcasted and the battle continues well after the family is divorced usually involving the children as emotional pawns in a psychologically damaging game of retribution played by the parents. In the most ideal set of circumstances, the adverse psychological effects of divorce on the entire family is noticeable, with children generally suffering the longest lasting harmful effects. If the circumstances are less than ideal, a bitter custody battle, abuse in the home prior to divorce, emotionally charged reasons for the divorce such as a cheating spouse or the father moves out of state, the negative effects, especially on the children, are magnified according to the level of contentiousness and distance of separation. Divorce causes stress which leads to emotional imbalances and physical health risks which could last a lifetime. Divorce is inevitable but the way it is handled by parents is a choice. The choice to put children’s welfare ahead of their own self-interests is what parents are supposed to do naturally and in the case of divorce would shelter the children from great psychological, emotional and ultimately, physical harm. References Amato, P. R. (1993). “Children’s adjustment to divorce: Theories, hypotheses, and empirical support.” Journal of Marriage and the Family. Vol. 55, pp. 23-38. Amato, P. R. (2001). “Children and divorce in the 1990s: An update of the Amato and Keith (1991) meta-analysis.” Journal of Family Psychology. Vol. 15, pp. 355-370. Bouchez, C. (27 June 2005). “Does Personality Affect Your Health?” WebMD [online]. Available September 21, 2007 from Kelly, J. B., & Emery, R. E. (2003). “Children’s adjustment following divorce: Risk and resiliency perspectives.” Family Relations. Vol. 52, pp. 352-362. Roshkind, Robin P.A. (2005). “The Anger, Anxiety, Depression, Frustration, Grief, Guilt, Regret, Sadness, and Stress of a Divorce in Florida.” Divorce Headquarters. Available September 21, 2007 from Saluter, Arlene F. & Lugaila, Terry A. (March 1996). “Marital Status and Living Population Characteristics, Arrangements.” U.S. Census. Available September 21, 2007 from Read More