The Effects of Divorce on Children - Essay Example

There is no single pattern according to which children are to be affected by divorce as far as each case is individualistic, including such variabilities as parenting styles, the amount of support children get, and the way parents react to the situation themselves. However, certain common effects are detected. For instance, preschoolers tend to blame themselves for the divorce, and face the fear of abandonment but have difficulties in expressing feelings. (Bloem; Niolon, 2010) Between the ages of 7-13, children would react with more sadness and anger, but independence as well. It is common for them to feel betrayed, develop mistrust, and have academic problems. During late adolescence, individuals can have difficulties in coping with outrage, sadness, and anger that can provoke them to reexamine personal values and detach from the family.

While the age of a child can hint at the possible difficulties he/she would face, the age of parents as a factor affecting divorce experience is a matter of question. On one side, it is likely that those who married when being younger are more likely to divorce than those who married when older. Also, older parents are expected to have more life experience and, therefore, are expected to provide sufficient emotional support and take care of children when divorcing. On another side, children’s experience of divorce depends significantly on the parenting style, of which parenting age is not a strong predictor. Read More