Question

The topic is divorce (impact on children)

What is its potential impact on a person’s development progress?

What is the impact to cognitive, social, emotional, relationship, and/or moral dimensions of development?

Answer 1

Divorce of parents has destructive and traumatic effects on children. The intensity of effects and coping abilities to these effects differ from child to child. Often during divorce parents don't give much attention to how their behavior with each other impact their children. Their mistreating each other and sometimes manupulating children who feel faithfull to both the parents, for their own good during divorce can have a very negative effect on children. These stresses caused by divorce can result in depression, anxiety, drug abuse, aggression and other psychological effects. Children may show impulsive behaviour too. These psychological effects can affect their social relationships with their peers or other people around. Divorce can also impact on children's cognitive development. It is found that children of divorcing parents show a significant drop of grades in school. They may also develope attention problems, they may have trouble focusing. Some children also develope speech problems like stammering due to stress created by divorce. Sometimes it may make children suicidal. It is seen that children of divorcing parents often feel a sense of guilt and blame themselves for their parents divorce. They may try to act in a certain way thinking that they are creating this situation and avoiding that can make situation better. After divorce children starts living with one parent and this affects their relationship with other parent. Eventually they get less time to spend with one parent and grow less close to them. Children who go through divorce show more risk taking behaviors. They may get involved sexually in their early adolescence. This is also a reason of teeanage pregnancy. Children of divorced parent also may start believing that if their parents can stop loving each other they may stop loving them too someday.