What are the consequences of divorce - Essay Example

What are the consequences of divorce? The consequences of divorce When anyone gets into marriage, it is theirlifelong hope that they will have a happy family union until death do the apart. However, not all marriages have a happy-ending it reaches a stage where spouses feel things cannot continue further. As much as some spouses may try to hold onto the marriage for the sake of the children and family name, for others divorce becomes the only solution. In a research by Afifi and Amato (2006), they found that those spouses holding up in marriage for the sake of children ended up harming the children more than those that underwent divorce did (Afifi & Amato, 2006).

Divorce apart from breaking up the family bond has other, many consequences with the children being affected the most. The spouses undergoing divorce do not have an easy time either. These spouses are likely to undergo a stressful transition before settling and when worst comes they may never get to settle because of the trauma and depression. Looking at research findings, most show that the children are the most affected after the divorce. According to Amato, a five-year study after divorce reported that a third of the children adjust well and have a normal relationship with both parents.

The other group of more than one third continues hoping for the reconciliation of their parents. They also experience chronic problems, poor school performance and suffer from depression (Amato, 2003). Apart from having negative effects to children in early ages, research shows that this children surfer up to their adulthood when they start searching for love. They lack the image of a good relationship and the experience of their parents failing to sustain marriage shambles their search and consequently may lead to unstable relationship (p.333). A study by Cheadle and Amato (2005) seek to find out the effects of divorce across generations.

The response from this research found that there are high chances of the consequences of divorce affecting even later generations; however, the effect gets lesser with future generations (Cheadle & Amato, 2005). The research explains that the discord in generation 1increases the likelihood of a discord in generation 2 marriage and that of generation 2 likely to influence generation 3 (p.198). The report from the study further suggests that there is an association with genetic traits as a cause of divorce in family generations, which comes out positive (p.203). After a divorce in most cases, the mother usually gets the custody of the children except for few cases.

The lack of a custodial father has been found to have never effects towards the children into their future. According to Aquilino (2006), father child relationship is particularly beneficial in development of the children’s life. His report indicates that fathers with joint custody bring a positive impact to their children’s lives than those who do not (Aquilino, 2006). Aquilino further suggests that it is necessary to avoid the introduction of a different father figure in the middle of the life stages of the children.

This he explains by indicating that transition from a mother only family to a mother-step father family may bring in maternal problems (p.943). In conclusion, it is evident that divorce has serious consequences to both the spouses and children. The children in this case are most affected as divorce ends up destroying their most valued environment, which is family. Although more studies are ongoing, it is clear that divorce has negative effects over generations to the point of being associated with genetics.

The only thing that can help in this situation is for the society to work together in sharing marital solutions in minimizing the rate of divorce. References:Amato, P.R. 2003. “Reconciling Divergent Perspectives: Judith Wallerstein, Quantitative Family Research, and Children of Divorce.” Family Relations 52: 332-339. Amato, P., and Cheadle, J. (2005). “The Long Reach of Divorce: Divorce and Well-Being Across Three Generations.” Journal of Marriage and Family 67: 191-206. Aquilino, W. (2006). “The Noncustodial Father-Child Relationship from Adolescence into Young Adulthood.

” Journal of Marriage and Family 68: 929-946. Amato, P., and Afifi, T. (2006). “Feeling Caught Between Parents: Adult Children’s Relations with Parents and Subjective Well-Being.” Journal of Marriage and Family 68: 222-235.