The Effects of Divorce on Children

The effects of divorce on children could be massive, but this could be helped. The most common causes for divorce are family problems, physical or emotional abuse, extramarital affairs, work stress and vices. Below are types of divorces you might want to familiarize with:

· Legal divorce – is the lawful end of your marriage where you are allowed to remarry.

· Economic divorce – involves the splitting of assets i.e.: money and property.

· Co-parental divorce – is a type of divorce where both parents agree to support their child even though they no longer have spousal support for each other.

Common effects of divorce on children are psychological problems, poor intellectual development and affected parent-child relationships.

Psychological Effects:

The psychological effects of divorce on children can affect children as young as 6 years of age. Young children can develop anxiety disorders where they experience overwhelming fear of being abandoned. Their feelings of isolation and sadness can also manifest through other problems such as eating disorders.

Poor Intellectual Development:

Children of divorced parents usually display insecurity, neediness, irritability and a constant craving for attention. These types of behavior consequently lead to aggressiveness towards peers, resulting in poor relationships with others. A child’s cognitive skills can also become poor. His or her overall academic performance suffers, thus leading to low self-worth and depression later in life.

Affected Parent-Child Relationships:

Oftentimes children will blame themselves for what happened between their parents. They also start to question their moral values and become either rebellious or overly obedient at any point in time.

The effects of divorce on children and teens could be negative or positive depending on the child’s coping strategies. Teens often engage in extravagant, promiscuous activities and form no concept of an ideal parent. They themselves are distressed about their future career, marriage and kids. But some do take this as a learning experience and attempt to make better decisions in the future.

Here are common concerns experienced by children of divorced parents:

· Financial worries – Children are especially worried about their future career and finances if they feel that their parents divorced because of money problems.

· Marital concerns – Children usually view failed relationships as somehow having an association with their parents’ failed relationship. Because of this, they tend to question marriage a lot in fear of mirroring their parents’ divorce.

· Role or status anxiety – Children can also try to play the role of either parent in attempts to “mend” their parents’ problems. This is considered to be unhealthy especially in adolescents.

How to Relieve the Negative Effects of Divorce on Children:

Allow your child to speak openly to friends, family members or counselors regarding the divorce in the family. Most children react towards divorce by spending more time outside their home. This can have a good effect, but it can also put them in a vulnerable position where less discipline can lead to drug or alcohol abuse. You should therefore still draw some boundaries and continue building a relationship with your child.

About the Author

What are the effects of divorce on children? Is your child coping well? Find out from the site of Isha Rowd on divorce and kids.

School Anxiety

I Can Relax! A Relaxation CD for Children $17.95 It’s easy to tell your children “Just relax and stop worrying so much!”, but this is rarely effective in reducing their feelings of stress and anxiety. Relaxation strategies such as progressive muscle relaxation and visual imagery have been shown to be extremely effective treatment components for child anxiety, and also can be great general stress reducers for children. Now your child can learn sp…

VAXA Attend Strategy Pac – Attend 60 Capsules, Memorin+ 60 Capsules, Extress 60 Capsules $73.75 The VÄXA Attend Strategy Pac, is a acientifically advanced neurological and cerebral homeopathic medicinal strategy, is a 3-formula health strategy that offers safe, all natural nutritional support for those individuals experiencing distraction, inattentiveness and possible overactivity. It is thought that such individuals experience neurochemical deficiencies resulting in an imbalance in stimula…

Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook: Practical DBT Exercises for Learning Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation, & Distress Tolerance (New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook) $13.20 A Clear and Effective Approach to Learning DBT Skills. First developed for treating borderline personality disorder, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) has proven effective as treatment for a range of other mental health problems, especially for those characterized by overwhelming emotions. Research shows that DBT can improve your ability to handle distress without losing control and acting destru…

How to Become Smarter $0.99 This book describes techniques for improving mental abilities. Some of the things it can help you to achieve include the following: Depending on circumstances, use different lifestyles that improve one or another mental function.Experience euphoria without drugs and come up with new ideas, when needed.Slow down and prevent yourself from making rash, impulsive decisions, when necessary.Sharpen your…

When My Worries Get Too Big! A Relaxation Book for Children Who Live with Anxiety $12.64 The thought of losing control can cause major problems for children who live with anxiety. Now, parents, teachers and children have a helpful tool that gives young children an opportunity to explore their own feelings with parents or teachers as they react to events in their daily lives. Engaging and easy to read, this illustrated children s book is filled with opportunities for children to partic…