Considering all the repercussions involved in divorce, such as economic and emotional damage, is it better to stay in an unhappy marriage for the sake of the children? Divorce creates a vicious family cycle that is most difficult to break once it has begun. Psychological, economic and emotional methods of thinking must be completely reconfigured in order to have a remote chance that the cycle in families will break.
Divorce represents a catastrophic change in the marital cycle. Divorce may bring to light many areas of marital conflict that children could be previously unaware of (Hines, 1997). So much of a child’s happiness and fulfillment is dependent upon their parents. It may be difficult for children to avoid taking sides in parental disputes and conflicts that occur during or after the divorce or separation.
How divorce affects the child and child-parent relationships, the legal implications of divorce on the couple, and the impact of divorce on the society at large will be examined.
Much evidence from various sources concurs with the theory that children, who are directly exposed to divorce, suffer more than children from intact families in a variety of ways. They exhibit more conduct problems, more symptoms of psychological problems, lower academic achievement, more social difficulties and worse self-esteem (Amarto, 1997).
Although various legal and therapeutic interventions are used to improve the well being of children of divorce, little research has been conducted to prove the long-term effects of this method of coping (Amarto, 1997).
A child’s adjustment to divorce involves many factors such as: psychological adjustment of parenting skills, level of conflict between the parents, how much economic hardship the children are exposed to, and the number of stressful life that occur during and after the divorce (Amarto, 1997).
The divorce cycle begins as