People are social beings, and the environment where they live influences them significantly. It means that various living conditions and events have an essential impact on people’s personalities, characters, and behaviors. For example, no one can deny that a divorce is a shattering experience for adults. However, the dissolution of marriage implies even stronger consequences when it refers to children. Thus, children significantly suffer from the divorce of their parents, and the effects include depression, the feeling of worry, criminal behavior, social isolation, and others.
To begin with, one should note that such an event can have a detrimental impact on children’s future. Chun, Jang, Choi, Shin, and Park (2016) stipulate that the children of divorced parents start experiencing depression symptoms that influence various spheres of their lives.
This situation can result in a high probability that they will be dissatisfied with their future marriages (Chun et al., 2016). Furthermore, Donahey (2018) stipulates that divorced parents can be an indicator that their child will face problems in his or her future romantic relationships. The two studies demonstrate that adverse events that happen in the present can reveal their nature in many years. In other words, these data mean that divorce can only prevent children from achieving positive results in their future society.
In addition to that, it is believed that the dissolution of parental marriage can directly influence how children act in various spheres immediately or shortly after a divorce, without considering the distant future. According to van der Wal, Finkenauer, and Visser (2019), it can “create lingering feelings of pain, worry, and regret that negatively affect children’s daily functioning in different social domains” (p. 469).
The researchers state that negative feelings from one area can be distributed to others. The given idea is supported by Tartari (2015), who argues that children of divorced parents exhibit lower test scores and educational attainment. This information demonstrates that young individuals face crucial problems in relationships with their peers and teachers.
In addition to that, Naz, Husain, and Mahsud (2016) have conducted an essential study that mainly deals with the social issues that are faced by children of divorced parents. The authors stipulate that the dissolution of marriage brings many adverse consequences for teenagers and younger individuals, including criminal behavior, personal dissatisfaction, and aggressiveness. At the same time, they draw specific attention to a social domain, stating that children develop an inferiority complex that may lead to social isolation and many behavioral problems (Naz et al., 2016).
These effects are typical because young individuals witness a significant tragedy in their lives, and this tragedy could not but affect them. It means that specific interventions are needed to address the issues and minimize the negative impact on children.
In conclusion, one should note that divorces are essential phenomena in modern society. The dissolution of a marriage often results in freedom for the previous spouses but severe problems for their children. These consequences are significant, and they can refer to various spheres of daily life. For example, they relate to education, communication with peers, cooperation with teachers, personal feelings, and others. Furthermore, divorce in a family is detrimental to the children’s present and future, which makes it crucial to find some interventions that will improve the situation. Thus, further analysis is required to determine how it is possible to address the harmful effects of life with parents having divorced.
References
Chun, S.-Y., Jang, S.-Y., Choi, J.-W., Shin, J., & Park, E.-C. (2016). Long-term effects of parental divorce timing on depression: A population-based longitudinal study. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 62(7), 645-650.
Donahey, K. (2018). Effects of divorce on children: The importance of intervention. Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology, 13(1), 21-33.
Naz, A., Husain, S., & Mahsud, N. K. (2016). Divorce among parents and its impacts on personality and socialization of children in Malakand division. Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 24(2), 11-31.
Tartari, M. (2015). Divorce and the cognitive achievement of children. International Economic Review, 56(2), 597-645.
Van der Wal, R. C., Finkenauer, C., & Visser, M. M. (2019). Reconciling mixed findings on children’s adjustment following high-conflict divorce. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 28(2), 468-478.