Parental divorce for children is a big shock and leaves many consequences. The love, support and commitment of both parents are the only ways to avoid severe consequences for the child. When a relationship between spouses gets cold, most parents ask themselves a question like: "Should we stay together because of the children?" There are parents who consider divorce to be the only option.
What consequences can divorce have on children? Nobody knows the exact answer to that, because everything is individual and every child is a person for himself. Although divorce is stressful for all children, some children recover faster than others. The good news is that parents can take steps to reduce the effects of divorce on their children. If parents establish a good and honest relationship with their children, they can help them adjust to the changes that have occurred as a result of parental separation and family breakdown.
Why is the first year after divorce the hardest? Many studies have shown that children suffer the most during the first or second year after divorce. Children are likely to experience discomfort, anger, anxiety, mistrust and insecurity in those moments. However, it seems that many children return to their previous behavior. They begin to get used to the changes in their daily routine and adapt more easily to the problems that life brings. However, there are a small number of children on whom divorce leaves a lasting mark and never return to their previous state. This small percentage of children may have permanent - perhaps even lifelong - problems after a parent's divorce.
What are the emotional consequences of divorce for children? Young children often do not understand why they are torn between two homes, why their parents live separately and the like. When children experience such failures from a peaceful port, it happens that they are troubled by the problems of whether their parents still love each other and whether their parents will stop loving them as well. School-age children sometimes think that divorce is their fault, as well as that they did something wrong, so it happened. Teenagers are really affected by such situations and can feel anger and resentment towards their parents, which can last for days. It also happens that they blame one parent for the divorce or they can blame one or both parents for the breakup of the family. Each situation is unique and each family carries a special story with them. However, there are also extreme situations in which a child can feel relief when a divorce occurs, because divorce represents a reduction in the stress and discomfort they experienced.
Is stress related to divorce? Divorce usually means that children will lose contact with one parent - most often the father. Reduced contact affects the parent-child relationship. After being separated from one parent, children feel stress and fear, and there is also insecurity that can remain even when the child steps into adulthood.
What are the emotional problems that occur in children? Divorce can increase the risk of mental health problems in children and adolescents. Regardless of age, gender and culture, children of divorced parents can have major health problems. Divorce can cause adjustment disorders in children, which can be resolved within a few months. Studies have also found that depression and anxiety are greater in children whose parents are divorced or do not live together.
Do children become problematic? Children from divorced families may have more problems, such as behavioral disorders, delinquency, and impulsive reactions, than children living with both parents. In addition to problematic behaviors, children may enter into multiple conflicts with peers after divorce. Of course, not all children become problematic, but only those whose divorce has left a deep mark and who have been left out of parental supervision.
Risky behavior - Not such a small number of adolescents from divorced families indulge in opiates and become more aggressive. Children in that period want to try everything, such as the use of illicit substances and early sexual activities. Separation from fathers is also associated with more sexual partners during adolescence. They also have a predisposition to enter into insecure partnerships and relationships in which a large age difference prevails.