Introduction
A divorce is a widespread phenomenon in modern society, and the community does not condemn people when they decide to end their marriage. However, a divorce is typically considered a negative event because it brings emotional and often financial challenges to all parties. According to the official statistics, the United States witnessed 2.3 divorces per 1,000 citizens in 2020, while that figure was 3.6 in 2010 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). This data can make one think that the divorce rate keeps declining, but a close look at the situation can reveal that the reduced number of such cases is associated with a reducing number of marriages. In particular, there were 6.8 marriages per 1,000 citizens in 2010 and 5.1 marriages in 2020 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). This information reveals that divorces represent a sensitive topic in the US, and it is scientifically interesting to research how these events affect children.
Review of Literature
It is possible to admit that many scholars focus on the problem and attempt to investigate the impact of divorce on children. Paul Amato is one of the most famous experts investigating the issue, and he started researching it in the late 20th century. According to Amato (2014), a generalized conclusion is that children with divorced parents are subject to more physical and mental health issues compared to children from complete families. The list of adverse impacts is versatile, including conduct problems, lower academic results, depression, and many other negative aspects (Amato, 2014). Furthermore, the scholar mentions that a divorce can harm the future of children because they are likely to obtain low-level education and earn less if they have experienced their parents’ marriage dissolution in their childhood (Amato, 2014). This data allows for stating that children significantly suffer from divorces.
In addition to that, Paul Amato coined a specific term – good divorce. This phrase denotes a case when adults get divorced but engage in cooperative co-parenting (Amato et al., 2011). Such a description refers to situations when divorced adults actively participate in the life of their common children. According to Amato et al. (2011), a good divorce results in the fact that children are less subject to various behavioral problems. It is possible to assume that such an outcome is present because children do not feel that they are left by their parents. However, the authors acknowledge a limitation of their study and stipulate that a good divorce hypothesis has modest support (Amato et al., 2011). The rationale behind this statement is that such relatively positive findings are found when compared to children raised by single parents.
Paul Amato is not the only expert who considers the issue under analysis. For example, Brand et al. (2019) focus on how divorce impacts children’s educational attainment. These authors managed to find versatile conclusions depending on the personal characteristics of students. In particular, Brand et al. (2019) mention that the problem results in poor educational attainment among white children. However, parents’ divorce does not result in such problems among nonwhite students (Brand et al., 2019). This finding reveals that the same event can lead to versatile consequences depending on children’s personal characteristics. In particular, this data demonstrates that not every child suffers when their parents decide to get divorced. Consequently, it is impossible to claim that divorces imply only negative effects on children.
In addition to that, it is possible to mention that divorces can lead to positive outcomes under some conditions. Eyo (2018) focuses on this issue and stipulates that the dissolution of marriage can be positive for children if their parents’ relationship was toxic and harmful. For example, adults can fight, quarrel, and abuse each other in a marriage, and it is impossible to claim that living in such a family positively affects a child’s mental well-being (Eyo, 2018). One can suggest that a child is going to witness many behavioral problems in the future if they keep seeing such a negative relationship between their parents. That is why the dissolution of such marriages bring positive consequences because children are freed from psychological abuse (Eyo, 2018). This finding demonstrates that it is not reasonable to claim that parents’ divorce is always negative for children.
Research Question
The literature review has demonstrated that divorces make children experience versatile effects, including positive and negative ones. This statement denotes that it is reasonable to conduct an additional study to bring more clarity to how one can describe the impact of the selected issue on young individuals. Since it has been identified that the exact effects depend on various conditions and children’s peculiarities, it is rational to select a specific situation and research it. It seems appropriate to select a specific age group and consider what consequences a divorce brings to them. The given research project is going to focus on elementary school students (5-10 years old) because this period significantly affects the further development of a child. The proposal offers to identify how the dissolution of marriage affects young people of all genders, ethnicities, and socioeconomic statuses. Consequently, the study is going to answer the following question: What positive and negative effects do children of 5-10 years old experience when their parents get divorced?
Methodology
According to the question above, it is reasonable to rely on qualitative methodology because this approach is suitable for generating new knowledge about the existing problem. The selected method can help find and analyze positive and negative effects on children. In addition to that, the study is going to use a questionnaire to collect data from the participants. Divorced adults will be contacted and asked to allow their children to answer the stipulated questions. Since minors are involved, ethical issues will be carefully addressed to ensure that the project will not result in any harmful consequences for children’s well-being. Once the questionnaires are complete, the study’s author will further analyze the answers to synthesize the findings and make any reasonable conclusions.
Conclusion
The given proposal has revealed that divorces are a significant problem in modern American society. Many adults decide to dissolve their marriages, but few of them consider that this event can adversely affect their children. Literature findings have demonstrated that negative effects of such events include low educational attainment, poor academic achievements, conduct problems, and versatile psychological and mental health issues. However, divorces can also result in positive outcomes under some conditions. That is why the given project offers to investigate what positive and negative effects children of 5-10 years old experience when their parents get divorced. The qualitative methodology can help answer the question, while a questionnaire seems an appropriate instrument to collect the required data from the participants. All ethical issues will be addressed to ensure that the study does not harm its participants.
References
Amato, P. R. (2014). The consequences of divorce for adults and children: An update. Društvena Istraživanja-Časopis Za Opća Društvena Pitanja, 23(01), 5-24.
Amato, P. R., Kane, J. B., & James, S. (2011). Reconsidering the “good divorce”. Family Relations, 60(5), 511-524.
Brand, J. E., Moore, R., Song, X., & Xie, Y. (2019). Why does parental divorce lower children’s educational attainment? A causal mediation analysis. Sociological Science, 6, 264-292.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). National marriage and divorce rate trends for 2000-2020 [PDF document].
Eyo, U. E. (2018). Divorce: Causes and effects on children. Asian Journal of Humanities and Social Studies, 6(5), 172-177.