Psychological Damage of Divorce to Children
Psychological Damage of Divorce to Children
Since the 1960's the number of children directly touched by divorce has jumped from 485,000 to one million per year. Today about one half of all marriages undertaken will end in divorce. There are predictable and typical reactions that children experience because of their parents divorce. (Divorce, np) Both the short term and long term effects that children face need to be recognized and acknowledged in order to assist a generation full of broken homes in achieving happiness and a sense of closure. It has been conceded that while most children suffer similar effects, not all will be as severely harmed as others.
It is no question that divorce harms children. However, the short term effects vary depending on age. Preschoolers aged 3-5 are likely to experience feelings of anger, sadness, and anxiety. Each sex displays emotions differently. Boys at this age tend to be noisier and more disruptive than usual. Their restlessness can cause conflicts in school and often results in disciplinary problems. In contrast, preschool aged girls are concerned with good behavior and keeping things neat. They tend to take on the role as teacher/parent by scolding and lecturing others. Both boys and girls cry more frequently, become openly demanding, and regress to outgrown behaviors such as bed wetting, thumb sucking, needing a security blanket, and experiencing nightmares. (Divorce, np)
School aged children aged 6-8 generally have the most difficult time coping with the divorce of parents. This is found to be especially true with boys at this age. Psychologists feel this is directly linked to the fact that most fathers move out when parents divorce. The boys lose their constant male role model while girls retain their role model.(Divorce, np) Children at this age will cry openly and experience sadness. Because they feel rejected by the departing parent, it is common for both sexes to have a loss of self-esteem and feel as though they are unlovable. Concentration becomes extremely difficult and will usually surface when it comes to school work.
School aged children 9-12 show their sadness through anger and hostility towards their parents. Although they are angry, they may try to hide their feelings if one parent openly hates the other. Because this group is becoming emotionally mature,...