...Study of the Effects of Divorce to Children Bruce Reyes De Vry University Children who experienced Divorce Specifically in the United States of America, approximately 50% of marriages end up in divorce. Much more of that, we often disregard the negative effects of divorce among children who do not grow up with both biological parents at their side. Hyun Sik Kim (2011) believes that “compared to children with continuously married biological parents, children with divorced parents are disadvantaged regarding various life outcomes, including likelihood of dropping out high school, cognitive skills, psychosocial well-being, and social relations” (Consequences of Parental Divorce for Child Development p.1). There are various effects on cognitive skills and non-cognitive skills on children. Hyun Sik Kim has proposed a 3 stage model to examine the effect of divorce to the child’s psychological trait and its development on various areas. The three models were namely pre-divorce, in-divorce and post-divorce. This model was made to reach a certain understanding that other behavioral studies and articles cannot. This is to overcome its limitation and to have a better understanding in order to recognize some of the failures of the past analysis. The study’s reference was from the Early Childhood Longitudinal study – Kinder garden class 1998-1999 and kinder through 8th grade. The study shows that some of the children who are experiencing and after divorce had setbacks...
Words: 440 - Pages: 2
...The Impact of Divorce on the American Child The number one problem confronting the United States of America in the 21st century is not insecurity or unemployment; it is neither health care nor poverty. It is the disorientation of the family unit caused by high rate of divorce in most homes. The purpose of this research is to examine the overall impact of divorce on children in America. The research will also try to evaluate ways that the society can help children from broken homes overcome the experience. To substantiate this research, the works of Karl Zinsmeister, Naomi Richards, and Williams Jeynes will be considered. In summary, Zinsmeister Karl In his article "Divorce's Toll on Children" argues that the effects of divorce on children...
Words: 269 - Pages: 2
...Divorce and the Destruction of the Family Ron Swanson Western Washington University The Destruction of the Family Throughout history, societies that valued traditional marriage and sexual abstinence were able to remain fundamentally strong and have flourished. Once a society decides to abandon these simple principles, destruction inevitably follows. J. Unwin (1934) wrote, “In human records, there is no instance of a society retaining its energy after a complete new generation has inherited a tradition which does not insist on prenuptial and postnuptial continence” (Unwin, 1934, p. 174). In today’s society, family and marriage are not defined by the traditional definition handed down through several millennia of history; rather the definition has been warped, and a new unstable version of the family has been accepted by our society. Traditional marriage is by its nature, the foundation of the family. The family is the building block of society, and marriage is the basis of the family. The devaluation of the conventional family, and more specifically, the destruction of traditional marriage by divorce, can have no other outcome but the destruction of our society. There are many reasons to evaluate why we have arrived at this state in our society: the growth of consumerism and commercialism, influence of Hollywood over our lives, the decline of religiosity in the United States, the decline of the social order and neighborhood relationships. All of these reasons are legitimate...
Words: 3540 - Pages: 15
...What effect does divorce have on children? By Dwan Lee Subject: Sociology Teacher: Janel Rabinowitz, M.A. 1/28/2012 Describe how society defines the social issue. People in society believes that we must be married in order to feel whole although by getting married there is over fifty percent getting divorce today. This means that one out of every marriage will end in a divorce the main causes for divorce in America is fighting over money such as, sometimes overspending by one spouse can put the couple in debt. And at the time of mirage, the money that seemed adequate for the couple appears insufficient for a family after some years. Also if one spouse makes all the financial decision, the other spouse may not accede to all decisions and one of the most usual causes of divorce is lack of communication. Such as when it comes to finalizing decisions pertaining to children, the spouse fails to communicate openly with each other. And when decisions are to be made regarding share finances, several couples do no communicate property with each other .Also there are many married couples, who have an opinion that in a marriage minor problems do occur and these are insignificant. There is no need to talk about these .However lack of communication regarding these small issues may also lead to conflict between the partners. .And this is becoming a normal thing to do is get married and then get divorce the reason people get married in the United States is because of financial...
Words: 3310 - Pages: 14
...Composition 18 March 2015 The Affects Divorce Has on Children “But in the real world, you couldn’t really just split a family down the middle, mom on one side, dad the other, with the child equally divided between. It was like when you ripped a piece of paper into two: no matter how you tried, the seams never fit exactly right again. It was what you couldn't see, those tiniest of pieces, that were lost in the severing, and their absence kept everything from being complete.” - Sarah Dessen Throughout the United States divorce has increasingly risen in the past years. “In 2000, 49% of US marriages ended in divorce” (Gianoulis). Children everywhere are becoming the products of broken families; caught in between a mommy and daddy, when before, there was no choice. Before, all there was was comfort, familiarity and stability. Although divorce may seem like the best option in an unhappy situation, the affects on the children’s emotional state can be harmful. These effects are emotionally, psychological, academically, socially, and economically damaging. To begin, in a study by Laumann-Billings and Emery they found that children of divorce suffer emotionally. This allows for new generations of broken families to be made. The saying “the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree” would apply. In the article, Divorce by Brackett and Woolly, the authors say approximately 400,000 of the estimated million cases of divorce a year result in children being “emotionally disturbed.” Research...
Words: 1888 - Pages: 8
...Palak Patel Mrs. Roman Eng102 Date: 03/16/2012 Divorce in America In the 21st century, so many Americans are struggling with divorce. Studies show that approximately sixty percent of marriage in America ends in divorce, and this does not seem to be slow down (“Divorce”). Nowadays, divorce is more common as compared to the past. Furthermore, so many issues are related to divorce: couples do not want to compromise about their relationship, women are becoming more independent, and couples are getting married too young. According to Wilson, “couples who live together before marriage have higher divorce rates than those who do not, and less educated couples tend to divorce at higher rates than those with more education” (“Introduction to Divorce”). It is also possible that couples are getting married for the wrong reasons, and they are not putting enough effort into their relationship, and their marriages end in divorce. Children are struggling as well as their parents because when parents become divorced the children become divorced too. After parents get divorced, children face a lot of stress during their lives. In the 21st century, the divorce rate in the American family is increasing because married couples are refusing to compromise about their relationship which is posing a potential danger to children. The divorce rate continues to increase in America over last twenty five years. As a matter of facts, the divorce rate is higher in today’s society compared to the past...
Words: 2288 - Pages: 10
...decisions. Although people tend to think carefully before they get married the rate of divorce continuously rises nowadays. There are a wide variety of reasons why people get divorced and I will highlight a few of these in this paper. Divorce in America: What’s love got to do with it? INTRODUCTION Divorce is any formal separation according to established custom, or a total disunion. There seems to be a growing trend in society today that when the going gets tough, get divorced. In order to see the effects of divorce in the United States, we have to take a closer look at what causes couples to make the decision to end their union and file for divorce. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 2,096,000 marriages in the US in 2010 and of those marriages 3.6% per 1,000 population ended in divorce (FASTSTATS, 2013). Those numbers sound scary to many couples considering marriage or who have just tied the knot; however, it is important to realize random forces don’t simply cause nearly half of all marriages to fail. Rather, couples divorce for very specific and common reasons, and not always the reasons you might think. Below are 8 of the most common reasons for divorce as listed by Octane.com (Cobus, 2012). Proper financial planning and management is essential to the success of a marriage. Arguments over money and how to manage it is the leading cause in divorce in the United States (Cobus, 2012). It is easy to overlook the financial aspect of marriage...
Words: 2180 - Pages: 9
...Does the Divorce of Parents Harm Their Children? Each year the American society deals with divorce. Divorce introduces a massive change into children and adults life no matter what the age is. Divorce can be harmful to children if the parents continue to fight and argue and can never get along. Children can be made out to believe that the divorce between their parents was their fault or that they aren’t loved anymore. However, children can come out strong in divorce as long as their parents can be co-parents without conflict. Divorce in America now is more common than it was back in the 1960’s and 70’s. Many couples got divorced due to infidelity and abuse. Now, in this day and age, men and women get divorced due to their own personal happiness. Professor Tamara D. Afifi spoke on a TEDxTalk in 2012 and said that many children from families who divorced and fight have more trust issues and hurt more on the inside than from children whose parents get along and co-parent without conflict. (Afifi, 2012) Each year, over 1 million American children suffer the divorce of their parents; Half of American children born this year will witness divorce with their parents. Of that 50% another 50% will experience a second divorce. (Rector & Fagan, 2000) Many believe that divorce has a negative effect on children. Not only does it cause them to have trust issues and often have relationship difficulties later in life, but they tend to dwell on the divorce as their fault. Children of divorced...
Words: 2224 - Pages: 9
...head: THE INCREASING DIVORCE RATE IN AMERICA The Increasing Divorce Rate In America Mohammed Alsalman Saint John College, University of New Brunswick, Saint John EAP Level 5, Writing and Research May 25, 2010 Outline I. Lack of time together and incorrect views about life can be determined as some of the reasons that divorce is increasing in America. Couples in America are spending less time together than in the past which has lead to an increase in the divorce rate. A. Workaholism 1. Main priority is work (Young & Harding, 2007, p.7) a. Interview with a workaholic and his spouse about their divorce (Piotrowski & Vodanovich, 2008, p.103). B. TV 1. Favorite programs are so important (Young & Harding, 2007, p. 28) a. 60% having TVs in all bedrooms of the house (Young & Harding, 2007, p. 112). Another major problem that is causing the increasing divorce rate in America is people have the wrong idea about life. A. The priority of the individual 1. Individual happiness is priority (Young, 2008, p. 25) a. Divorce due to irreconcilable differences in first three years (Young, 2008, Incompatibility section, para.10) B. Love is good 1. The Cinderella story. a. Interview conducted with 500 American children about love (Smith...
Words: 1206 - Pages: 5
...family on children “Broken” Homes: The Effect of Divorce on Children Going through a divorce is a very difficult situation to be in. Usually it is what is happening between the parents, that concerns most people. However hurtful divorce is on the couple that is going through it, the children end up with the greatest amount of problems. These problems that the children develop are not always obvious, and do no always come to the surface right away. “Most often the children responded to the announcement [of the divorce] with apprehensiveness or anger . . . Several children panicked . . . finally, a great many of the younger children, about one-third of the entire group, didn’t really believe what they had been told. For these youngsters, the single announcement by the parents made it easier for them to pretend that the divorce would soon go away and to postpone their own response to the frightening changes in their lives” (Wallerstein 40-41). Children often try to stop the divorce of their parents, but there are many who seem to accept it at first. These who seem to accept it may even tell their parents that they are happy about the divorce. This is not necessarily the case, as one would see if he or she spoke with the child for a while. There are many things that divorce does to a family, and there are many things that is does to the child. These effects are rarely positive, or helpful depending upon the family’s prior situation. Divorce has many negative effects on the...
Words: 1205 - Pages: 5
...Running Head: Research Paper – Effect of Divorce on Parenting Derin Ireyomi 103091991 University of Windsor 02-48-305 Dr. Omorodion Abstract In the past two decades, the trend of divorce and shared custody has increased and affected the lives of almost 57% of couples and their children (Boyan, 2003). Divorces have been known to have a huge effect on parenting practices of both the mother and the father. For the complete and balanced development of children and adolescents, the involvement of both the father and the mother is extremely crucial. From playing and socializing during the primary years to negotiation, monitoring and supervision in early teens, both the mother and father play equal guiding roles in the development of children (Boyan, 2003). Introduction Children who have both parents feel successful, competent and happy, when both parents are involved in their lives (Markham et al, 2012). Conversely, children who live with a single parent are more likely to feel unhappy, depressed, and garner an awkward feeling (Schwartz, 2006). Additionally, couples involved in the divorce also experience a huge effect on their parenting practices and their daily lives as well (Sayer, 2006). This paper will investigate the negative effects divorce has on parenting practices and how it will affect the way the children are raised. Through this, I will analyze the evidence provided in the articles by Sayer (2006), Pruett (1998), Schwartz (2007), and other authors to determine...
Words: 2799 - Pages: 12
...Research Interest Paper I am interested in exploring research on the topic of the effects of divorce on children in the United States. In particular I would like to examine if there are significant differences among children that come from divorced families and children that come from intact families in their adulthood. Within this topic I will be specifically looking for any distinctions in terms of relationships in adulthood and the factors that influence any differences. This idea is interesting because a significant number of people in the United States with children get divorced each year. The immediate impact on children at the time of a divorce is generally taken into account; however, the long-term psychological effects are rarely considered. If there are any significant differences it is something that parents who are thinking of divorcing should take into account. Additionally, children of divorce should be aware of any challenges they might encounter as a tool avoid potential risks and be more resilient. I have background knowledge of the immediate impact that divorce has on children at the time the divorce takes place from psychology course I have taken in the past. I also have general idea as the consequences divorce can have on different stages of childhood from the books The Marriage Go Around: The State Of Marriage And The Family in America Today by Andrew J. Cherlin and a few research studies I have read in different course. From the knowledge I have obtained...
Words: 577 - Pages: 3
...The divorce revolution, which simply means the progressive replacement of the marriage culture by the divorce culture is prevalent in the American society. This has subsequently created profound hardships for children, and has fallen short on delivering on its mirage promise of a better adult happiness. This divorce revolution has been a trend that has been inculcated in the American culture for years on end. As seen in the two movies “The Parent Trap” of 1961 and its remake “The Parent Trap” of 1998, the subject of divorce remains prevalent and the storyline remains the same. However, it is worth noting that a marital union is vital for families to be cemented together as opposed to separation and divorce. The two movies talk of two twins who met at a holiday camp. Their parents were divorced and each lived with either parent in separate places. None had seen the other and it is only a situation which makes them notice the remarkable resemblance they both shared and after they shared about their lives, they both came to know that they were twin sisters and that their parents had divorced. The remake of “The Parent Trap” a 1961 film shows that little has changed in the American society concerning child custody, and divorce issues. The holistic issue of divorce as seen in the movie has assumed the form of convenience. In the event of some form of misunderstanding and “irreconcilable” differences, most American couples who are married take the shorter option out- divorce. This...
Words: 1780 - Pages: 8
...Millions of married couples in America file for divorce everyday. The causes are numerous ranging from boredom of the spouse to violent treatment. Couples who get a divorce often have children, which are the most affected when a divorce occurs. Divorces usually lead to separation of belongings (including children), absence of one parent during children’s growth, and destruction of the family unit. When a divorce is filed it means that a couple has reached a point in which they can not stand to be with each other. The ones who suffer the most in these cases are the products of the love the couple once had for each other: their children. After a divorce takes effect, each of the parent’s belongings are usually evenly divided. The things that can be easily divided include a house, car, and bank accounts. But, children are not things that we can sell or divide. For this reason, divorced couples fight in court for the custody of their children. Each parent has to present their case and demonstrate that he or she is the most capable parent to take care of the children. This includes economic, social, and other aspects of life. Once a judge decides who the children will stay with (usually the mother) the other parent will have no other choice but to limit himself to visitations to his or her children. Some might even be obliged to pay a monthly amount for child support. After custody is won by one of the parents, children will have to adjust to living with just that parent most of...
Words: 632 - Pages: 3
...The Impact of Divorce on Children Lisa Greatwhite Liberty University PSYC 210-D07 Abstract Compared to forty years ago the divorce rate has increased at an alarming rate. Leaving the children torn and confused about their lives before and after. Children that where once seen as resilient are now seen as vulnerable. There is a vast amount of research that supports how children are affected before, during and after their parents’ divorce. Some of the issues that impact children can cause short-term psychological issues. Leaving those children that are affected to act out in various ways, from regressing backward in the developmental process to psychosocial well-being as it relates to academic performance. Long-term effects for children that result from divorce remain present throughout life. The adult child of divorce may carry unresolved issues into their own relationships. This behavior can put the adult child in high risk for divorce. With this understanding many schools and courts are beginning to offer ways to help children emotionally and socially through counseling and interventions. The Impact of Divorce on Children The research conducted on the divorce rate in the last decade has shown a steady climb. Daniel Pickar (2003), stated in an article from Sonoma county Medical Association, “Forty percent of all children growing up in America today will experience a parental divorce”. (Pickar 2003, p. 1) Most contributed the drastic increase to the court laws on what...
Words: 1764 - Pages: 8
