Question

The topic is divorce ( impact on children)

What are the most important considerations for human services providers to know as they work with individuals and families experiencing this impact to development?

Answer 1

Divorce is the culmination of poor marital adjustment and comes when husband and wife have been unable to find any other satisfactory solution to their problems. Many unsatisfied marriages donot end in divorce due to the moral and religious reasons. Effected divorce have a serious impact on children. Children of divorced parents are embarassed because they think that they are different. This seriously affects their self concepts. Children are most hurt by divorce when their loyalities are divided and when they suffer from anxiety because of the uncertainities that divorce bring to their lives. On the other hand there is evidence to prove that children whose parents are emotionally divorced eventhough living together under the same roof suffer even more than those whose parents are legally divorced. There is evidence that affects of continued conflict in home is more harmful to the children than divorce irself.

Impact on Children --> Conisderations for Human Service Providers

• Stress

Stress of the Children due to the divorce of their parents can lead to anxiety depression, drug abuse, delicant behaviour, teen pregnancy. Sometimes the children may even make suicide attempts.

• Academic Issues

Children of the divorced parents will have difficulty to attend and concentrate. They suffer from memory related problems. They may suffer from frequent temper tandrums and sleep disorders

• Reduced self Esteem

The children often think that they are the reason for the separation of their parents. This may lead to serious psychological issues.

• Behavioural Problems and poor Mental Health

Parents' divorce not only cause an adjustment disorder in children but also depression and anxiety leading to conduct disorders, impulsive behaviour and increased risk of mental health disorders.

A Human service provider dealing with this should help these children work through their guilt to restore their self esteem and help them in resolving their anxiety, depression, substance abuse and any harmful thoughts or behaviours that they have as a result of devastating affects that separation and divorce have on them. Some methods/therapies to implement this are

• Individual Group and family therapy

These therapies can address the issues of grief sadness and anger and other complications. Attention and concentration can be improved through individual and group therapies.

• Play therapy Art therapy

It can help the children who are not very verbal and are too young to express.

A Human service proivder/therapist can provide enormous benefits for children and adolescents who are suffering from low self esteem anxiety depression and other harmful thoughts or behaviours