Introduction
Divorce can be challenging for a family since the couples are discovering new ways to relate to each other and trying new parenting techniques. Children are tenacious, and the breakup changeover can be perceived as an improvement rather than a panic if they receive assistance. Since children involved in a split vary in disposition and age, the developmental impacts of parental separation also differ. Therefore, divorce may affect a child’s development by making them engage in risk-taking behaviors, experience divorce-related stress, and significantly lower their self-esteem. Nilsen et al. (2020) argue that separation increases the academic success development of a child. However, Nusinovici et al. (2018) showed that divorce causes emotional hardship for the entire household, but it can be particularly frightening, perplexing, and upsetting for children. Divorce would interfere with their class concentration, leading to poor academic performance; as such, this claim is wrong.
Risk-Taking Behaviors
Teenagers whose parents are divorced are more likely to engage in dangerous behaviors, such as using substances and engaging in sexual activity at a younger age. In the USA, teenagers whose parents have divorced are more inclined to report earlier alcohol usage and higher levels of cannabis, nicotine, and substance use than their peers (Fitzgerald et al., 2019). Teenagers whose parents got a divorce when they were younger are at an increased risk of becoming sexually mature before the age of 16 (Fitzgerald et al., 2019). This is especially true for those whose families got a breakup when they were younger. A greater variety of sexual companions throughout adolescence has also been linked to adolescent children estranged from their fathers.
Experience Divorce-Related Stress
During a divorce, children typically lose regular interaction with either of the parents. Restricted contact affects the parent-child link, and multiple studies have shown that children feel less attached to their fathers following a breakup (Zilincikova & Albertini, 2022). A child’s connection with the primary caregiver, typically the mother, is also affected by divorce. Elevated levels of stress frequently accompany single parental involvement for a sole caretaker. Schaan et al. (2019) found that mothers are frequently less supportive and sympathetic after divorce. Moreover, their discipline becomes inconsistent and ineffective. Some children do not find parental separation to be the most challenging aspect. Instead, the most unpleasant aspect of divorce is the surrounding anxieties.
Low Self-Esteem
Children who grow up in households with only one parent or observe their parents’ divorce tend to have low self-esteem as adults. A lack of self-esteem is a significant societal issue since it impedes the growth of children’s self-confidence and, as a result, their self-esteem (Meland et al., 2020). Many times, children believe the divorce was their fault. Because of this, they are forced to spend their lives in seclusion, constantly worrying about what their peers will think of them (Meland et al., 2020). They never stop thinking of themselves as failures, mainly if they are between the ages of seven and seventeen (Meland et al., 2020). In addition, parents frequently involve their children in the process of divorce, which may have detrimental effects on the children as they mature into young adults.
Increased Academic Success
However, the separation of parents has been linked with increased academic success of a child. Many children of divorce aim beyond dimension to be successful by pressing themselves to the farthest intersections of their young limits in various spheres of the undertaking, including academics, athletics, hobbies, and talents. This is because they feel that their parent’s failure to maintain a healthy relationship directly reflects their worth as individuals. This undeniable need to satisfy one or both parents lies at the heart of this compulsion, as does the desire to demonstrate that the dissolution of their marriage does not reflect poorly on their abilities as parents.
It is also a means for children to indicate to their parents that their individual or collective divorce guilt may be alleviated because, at least outwardly, the kids are doing fine. This is done so the kids can continue to have relationships with both parents. In addition, highlighting a child’s achievements can be an excellent way to divert the attention of combative parents who, for whatever reason, cannot agree over the time of day. Concerns have been raised about the possibility that young people who set high standards for themselves may, as adults, develop Type A personalities and feel compelled to pursue unreachable goals (Nusinovici et al., 2018). However, the academic potential and accomplishment ratings of children whose parents are separated have been observed to be lower than those scores for children from intact families (Nusinovici et al., 2018). Therefore, a decline in academic achievement is one of the most common and consistent effects related to the split or divorce of the parents.
Conclusion
Divorce can be difficult for a family because the partners are learning new ways to relate to one another and experimenting with new parenting practices. Therefore, divorce may impair a child’s development by causing them to engage in risky behaviors, feel divorce-related stress, and have a severely diminished sense of self-worth. Teenagers with divorced parents are more prone to participate in unhealthy behaviors, such as alcohol abuse and sexual engagement, at a younger age. In addition, children generally lose frequent contact with one or both caregivers during a split. Children who grow up in single-parent families or witness their parents’ breakup are likely to develop low self-esteem as grownups. However, parents’ divorce has been associated with a child’s higher educational excellence. To secure the child’s social, cognitive, and physiological growth, parents must resolve their disputes effectively.
References
Fitzgerald, H. E., Johnson, D. J., Qin, D. B., Villarruel, F. A., & Norder, J. 2019. ‘Introduction: A developmental systems perspective on children and prejudice.’ In Handbook of Children and Prejudice (pp. 3-22). Springer.
Meland, E., Breidablik, H. J., & Thuen, F. 2020. ‘Divorce and conversational difficulties with parents: Impact on adolescent health and self-esteem.’ Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 48(7), 743-751. Web.
Nilsen, S. A., Breivik, K., Wold, B., Askeland, K. G., Sivertsen, B., Hysing, M., & Bøe, T. 2020. ‘Divorce and adolescent academic achievement: Heterogeneity in the associations by parental education.’ PloS one, 15(3), 1-22. Web.
Nusinovici, S., Olliac, B., Flamant, C., Müller, J. B., Olivier, M., Rouger, V., Gascoin, G., Basset, H., Bouvard, C., Rozé, J., & Hanf, M. 2018. ‘Impact of parental separation or divorce on school performance in preterm children: A population-based study.’ PloS one, 13(9), 1-11. Web.
Schaan, V. K., Schulz, A., Schächinger, H., & Vögele, C. 2019. ‘Parental divorce is associated with an increased risk to develop mental disorders in women.’ Journal of Affective Disorders, 257, 91-99. Web.
Zilincikova, Z., & Albertini, M. 2022. ‘Does union type make a difference when you separate? Frequency of father-child contact and father’s satisfaction with the relation.’ Genus, 78(1), 1-23. Web.