The separation of marriage, otherwise known as divorce, has become more popular in society today. In earlier times, divorce was not accepted because it was not as common. Due to this rise in popularity, numerous studies have been conducted by researchers to help solidify the effects divorce can have. Research shows that about 45% of marriages end in divorce and approximately 40% of all children experience divorce throughout their lives (Arkes). With such higher numbers of marriages potentially ending in divorce, there is a clear demand to expose the effects it can have on children. Geir Waehler Gustavsen, Rodolfo M. Nayga Jr., and Ximing Wu stated that “children from divorced families were more frequently involved in binge drinking, alcohol consumption, and marijuana use than their counterparts from married families.” Educating parents on these effects can help their children avoid detrimental lifestyle choices that could potentially dictate their future. Parents facing divorce can protect their children in the long run by better preparing them for their separation. Kelly and Emery highlight the impact divorce has on children by analyzing children from divorced and intact families. 10% of children from intact families have serious psychological and social problems, but 20% to 25% of children from divorce have the same issues (Kelly and Emery). The consequences of divorce vary, but have been reportedly negative on child development. Parental divorce negatively effects adolescents’ lives; therefore, increasing their behavioral issues, their substance abuse, and causing poor academic performance.

On the contrary, some research has suggested that divorce can have positive effects on adolescents. Those who feel divorce can have positive effects on a child’s livelihood believe that the level of impact a divorce has on a child is controlled by the parents. Research has found that the level of conflict between parents and how involved children are with the conflict are two determining aspects of the outcome of the divorce (Rappaport). This suggests that the environment children of divorce are surrounded by can be much more impactful than the divorce itself. Amato found that when children are in a toxic environment, divorce is much more favorable. For example, if a child was surrounded by a drug addicted parent, it would benefit their wellbeing to be removed from that situation. Some even believe that divorce can help to positively build personality among children of divorce. Halligan and colleagues did a study where they interviewed 336 students. Their results showed that 53.51% of the students agreed that they became “more independent and less reliant on parents” (Halligan, Chang, and Knox). The effects a divorce can range anywhere between minor and major depending on the specific case. Just like in any other situation, different people elicit different reactions to circumstances going on within their personal lives. Many studies have been conducted in hopes of monitoring children’s behavior after divorce, but it is difficult to narrow down and identify the exact causes. Based on research, divorce can help children become more independent and it can free them from stressful situations at home. In total, the separation of parents can potentially have positive effects on some adolescents. 

Parents that go through divorce often lack support for their children and tend to turn their attention elsewhere. Divorce is a stressful process for all people involved, but sometimes parents forget that their children are just as affected as they are. Once a family is separated, it becomes much harder to do the day-to-day things; parents cannot plan for these kinds of shortcomings involving child-care. Rappaport found that children of divorce often spend more time in daycare, are less likely to participate in activities due to financial shortcomings, and experience less parental involvement. These children are receiving less nurturing and are forced to grow up more independently than children with married parents. There are many common misconceptions about divorce. Unfortunately, the mothers are affected by misconceptions that women are supposed to be the main providers for emotional support and nurturing to children. A recent study shows that after divorce 84% of children remain in their mother’s care (Bernstein, Keltner, and Laurent). These statistics show that societies’ expectations have a direct effect on the turn-out of parent care after divorce. In this longitudinal study, Bernstein and colleagues interviewed mothers and children after 5 years passed since they were divorced. They found that less than half of the mothers they interviewed remained efficient and responsive parents after their divorce (Bernstein, Keltner, and Laurent). Sometimes the little things, such as supporting a child, become forgotten about because of the stress that divorce can bring. Divorce can forever change the lives of both the parents and the children involved.

Divorce has the potential to have negative effects on future relationships of adult children from divorced families. Washington and Hans explain the negative effects divorce can have with the idea of the attachment theory. In their article, they discuss the unhealthy attachments that children of divorce can develop from their primary caregivers. These types of unhealthy attachments will also negatively affect future relationships for these children (Washington and Hans). Washington and Hans explain how parental divorce can lead to insecure attachment, which can further destroy future relationships for children. Children from divorced families experience situations that children from married families will never have to experience. These experiences shape the way that these children hold their own relationships later in life. Bernstein, Keltner, Laurent found that “adolescents from divorce tend to become sexually active and marry at an earlier age.” Divorce has the potential to make children feel vulnerable and pressured into making choices that can have a major effect on their quality of life. Children of divorce are pushing the limits, searching for attention they may be lacking from inside their home. Amato found that “children of divorce experience more personal disorganization than children whose families are still intact.” Children are affected by disruption and changes in family structure. This changes and disruption can cause children to negatively shape the way they view and exhibit their own personal relationships. Andrea Lambert South performed a longitudinal study on young adults aged 18-25. South found that “participants thought more about the demise of their relationships than they have about initiating or maintaining a long-term romantic relationship.” Adolescents from divorced families are reportedly exposed to more stress than those from intact families. Based on research outlining the effects of divorce, children from divorced families tend to have more reported negative views on romantic relationships after witnessing their parents’ experiences during childhood.  

Children of divorce are more prone to lose the close relationships they develop with their mother or father at a young age. As adolescents grow older, they learn more about the marriage their parents once had. Sometimes knowledge of the former relationship can lead to resentment, which in turn deteriorates the existing relationship between parent and child. Parents should try to disclose minimal amounts of information to their children throughout the process of divorce to avoid further damaging the parent-child relationships in the future. Matthijs Kalmijn performed a study on children and their fathers after they remarried. Kalmijn’s longitudinal study showed that “adult children of repartnered fathers have less frequent contact with their father and they exchange less support with him.” As the processes of divorce are played out, it becomes more likely for a child to lose relations with one parent involved. Sometimes children feel like they must choose between their parents when a divorce is messy. This forced choice can have potentially harmful effects on the emotional stability of children. Oppawsky discovered that “as children’s trust, optimism, feeling loved and lovable, and a sense of self-respect faded, intense anger and hate toward one or both parents occurred.” Children are subconsciously forced into picking a side during a divorce. The pressure to choose between two parents can be detrimental to children. Some children cannot deal with this type of pressure; therefore, forcing them to act out in other controlled settings, such as school. These reactions can be viewed as a cry for help, but some parents miss these cries from their children due to their inability to emotional, physical, and financial support for their children. Such behaviors can inevitably full children further awat from their parents. Based on substantial research, it is apparent that parents’ actions do have a direct impact on future parent-child relations.

Divorce can dramatically affect the psychological state of adolescents involved in divorce. Every child struggles with stressors in life, such as schoolwork, but children of divorce are subject to much higher stress levels than children of married families. For example, Andrea South performed a study on depression levels of young children from divorced families and those from married families. Research revealed that adolescents from divorced families are more prone to early onset depression than adolescents from married families (South). However, there are many different influences that can affect the outcome of adolescents’ mental wellbeing. Instability at home can result in a child feeling lost and unsure about the involvement of all family members in their lives in the future. Amato found that “the predisruption effects of divorce are thought to influence child mental health and can result in depression later in life.” Amato also adds that negative emotions can be transferred from single parents to adolescent children, especially when they are under stress. A parent must be aware of the attitudes they are projecting onto the other parent because their children are watching. Oppawsky performed a study that focused on the views of children, ages three to eighteen. Through extensive interviews, research shows that children experience “prolonged periods of crying”, “sadness in varied degrees”, and “fear of the unknown” (Oppawsky).  With the help from studies done by those with PhDs, it is a common consensus that the psychological state of children from divorced families is negatively affected by the separation of their parents.

Parental divorce negatively affects children in the classroom. The situations going on at home tend to follow children into school. Students with divorced parents at home are more likely to struggle in school and have less educational success, which is a lifelong effect that demands correcting immediately. Rappaport found that children of divorce are automatically subjected to a disadvantage in the classroom when compared with children from married families. Research shows that parents facing divorce need be aware of their children’s vulnerability to argue that children of divorce are at a disadvantage in the classroom. Bernstein and colleagues found that children of divorce not only have lower standardized tests, but they also tend to have more behavioral problems in a school setting. Such research can help parents of divorce understand why their children are acting up and help them resolve conflict with their children. There are many different factors that could affect a child’s performance in school, but knowing the effects of divorce will help parents find solutions to poor performance in the classroom for their children. Rappaport found that children from divorce tend to perform lower in an academic setting than children from intact families. Through data collection, Rappaport also discovered that these children are more likely to drop out of school. These testimonies from researchers support that children of divorce are subject to higher stress-level situations at home; therefore, negatively affecting their performance in school. Parents must recognize that their children are struggling; therefore, they must be present to support and guide their children down a better path.

Children’s behavioral issues can be dramatically effected by parental divorce. As a result of the separation of their parents, many children feel they no longer have any control among their family. As a reaction to such a realization, children typically act out in school. Due to this, parents have difficulty understanding why their children are struggling. Research shows how children from divorce can be affected psychologically by the separation of their parents. Oppawsky found that children of divorce were 50% more likely to have serious behavioral problems than those of married parents. In such research, it is important to compare children from married and divorced families to highlight the divorced children’s behavior. To avoid biases among the discussions about the behavioral issues in children of divorce, Rappaport distinguished between female and male behavioral issues found in these children. He discusses how boys’ conduct issues originate from parenting practices and girls’ come from parental conflict (Rappaport). Gustavsen, Nayga, and Wu ran a longitudinal study that found that “children from divorced families had about a 10% higher probability of engaging in binge drinking, alcohol consumption, and marijuana use.” Sometimes young children simply cannot understand the problems between their parents because it would be more damaging for them to know the details of the divorce. Children struggle to make sense of the changes they experience in their personal life and they lash out. Research solidifies the hypothesis that children of divorce experience more behavioral issues due to their parents’ behavior. 

Substance abuse by youths has proven to be a significant issue among children that come from divorced families. To help cope with their feelings of watching their parents’ marriage crumble, many children have reportedly turned to substances. Joleen Greenwood explains that “developing a dependency to a substance at a young age is extremely dangerous, as the abuse usually worsens as time goes on.” Substance abuse has detrimental physical and emotional effects throughout a person’s life. Researchers have begun conducting studies in order to find out more information regarding substance abuse among young adults from divorced families. Arkes did a study where children ages 16-22 were interviewed annually prior to, during, and after the divorce to record their substance use over the year. Through his research, Arkes discovered that “risk of alcohol use increases as divorce approaches, relative to what it would have been four or more years before the divorce, beyond what the normal age trajectory would dictate.” Unfortunately, alcohol is not the only substance that has been reportedly abused by children of divorce. Arkes suggests that drug involvement was much higher within children of divorce than children from married families. Rappaport helps to clarify risk behaviors involving substance abuse by outlining the differences between boys’ and girls’ substance abuse during. His study shows the trend of substance abuse in males and females from both intact and divorced families. He found how gender is a factor in the abuse of substances throughout divorce. By showing “disrupted” families and “intact” families, readers can gather how divorce effects substance abuse in males and females. By using substances as a crutch, children submit themselves to dependency. This dependency has the power to dictate a person’s entire future.Based on multiple studies provided by researchers, it is evident that children from divorce are more likely to become involved in the abuse of substances than children of intact families. 

Adolescents from divorced families are subjected to negative effects, such as substance abuse, poor academic achievement, and behavioral issues. With such a high percentage of marriages ending in divorce, it is important to study the potential effects that can be portrayed onto children. These children from divorced families are more likely to have psychological issues than children from intact families. The severity of conflict between two parents can be related to a child’s future health (Amato). With behavioral issues and improper emotional displays, children begin to form bad habits among themselves at a young age. From this research, it can be inferred that more research needs to be done on efficient ways to cope with divorce. One can also infer that since divorce has the possibility to negatively affect children, therapy must be necessary for adolescents enduring such circumstances because it can help deflect some of divorces’ effects (Greenwood). Finally, one can infer that educating people on poor family relations and marital conflict is necessary because that would help decrease the negative effects divorce has on adolescents’ lives (Arkes). Overall, research supports the idea that divorce has negative effects on the lives of children. Parents must understand the impact they have on their children during the processes of their divorce. By spreading awareness, parents can better prepare their children and protect them from further emotional damage. Divorce is a relevant topic in society today and a greater effort must be made in order to address the effects divorce can have. 
