I. Introduction
According to a study conducted by Williams-Owens (2017), 40% of children in the U.S. experience divorce before they attain 18 years. Divorce is a significant life event that has far-reaching consequences for children. It affects their physical, psychological, and emotional health in numerous ways. Divorce can lead to changes in behavior, such as increased aggression, anxiety, and depression. As a result, it may lead to lower academic performance and poorer social skills and make it more difficult for children to form relationships with peers or adults outside the family system, among other severe effects. All these factors have an immense impact on the child’s growth and development throughout their lives.
The impact of divorce on children and their behavior is a topic that should be studied because it affects the lives of so many people. According to the United States Census Bureau, there were 2245404 marriages in 2019 and 827,261 divorces, translating to 37% of marriages that ended in divorce (Petrelli Previtera, LLC 2023). U.S. Census Bureau data shows the current divorce rate in the U.S. is 3.2 per 1000 population (Petrelli Previtera, LLC, 2023). This means that millions of children have been or will be affected by this life-changing event at some point during their lifetime. It is essential to understand the effects it can have on them and how best to support them through what can often be a traumatic experience for all involved. In light of this, the focus of this study is to explore the impacts of divorce on children and their behaviors.
II. Literature Review
The purpose of this study is to explore the impacts divorce has on children and their behaviors and some of the research questions and hypotheses for this study include;
Hypothesis
The experience of parental divorce has a significant impact on the development, behavior, and well-being of children
Research Questions
- What are divorce’s emotional, psychological, and physical effects on children?
- How do boys and girls respond to parental divorce? Do younger or older children react differently?
- What role does family structure play in determining the outcomes of divorce?
The debate about the effects of divorce on children has been a topic of intense discussion among various authors for many years. Some argue that divorce can hurt children’s emotional and psychological health, while others maintain that it does not necessarily damage them in the long run. In the following section, this study will examine how various authors have debated the effects of divorce on children.
According to Williams-Owens (2017), the effects of divorce on children is likely to have short-term effects and long-term effects. Some of the short-terms effects include high-level of regression, acute separation anxiety and abandonment issues. The impact of divorce on children and their behavior is a complex issue. According to Malone et al. (2004), this can be studied by looking at “latent change score models,” which measure the effects of life events, such as divorce, on child behavior problems over time. The study found an increase in child behavior problems after parents divorced compared to before the event occurred. This suggests that children are more likely to display behavioral issues following parental separation or divorce than before.
This finding has important implications on understanding the psychological effects of family dissolution on young people’s lives and development trajectories into adulthood. These findings suggest that adverse consequences may arise from experiencing a parental breakup. They also indicate potential areas where intervention strategies could be developed in order help support those affected by it cope better with its associated challenges (Malone et al. 2004). For example, providing counseling services for both parents and their children during times of transition could help mitigate any long-term stressors resulting from changes brought about by familial restructuring due to separation or divorce (Malone et al. 2004). According to Demo and Acock (1988), divorce directly impacts children’s behavior, academic performance, social relationships, mental health status, and future family formation. Jacobson (1978) also found that when parents separate or get divorced, it significantly increases the risk of psychological disturbances in their offspring. Children may struggle with feelings such as sadness due to losing contact with one parent or guilt because they feel responsible for their parent’s separation or divorce. They may also display behavioral problems such as aggression towards peers or adults, withdrawal from friends, difficulty sleeping, increased anxiety levels, depression symptoms like low self-esteem, and lack of motivation in school activities (Demo and Acock 1988). Additionally, Jacobson’s research suggests that parental conflict before separation can further increase these adverse outcomes by exacerbating existing issues between the child and either parent.
According to FamilyMeans (2019), when parents divorce, it can lead to many adverse effects on their children. Poor academic performance is one such effect that may arise from divorce as the child’s focus shifts away from schoolwork due to emotional distress and changes within the family dynamic (FamilyMeans 2019). Additionally, a child may lose interest in social activities or have difficulty adapting to change due to feeling overwhelmed by life’s new adjustments (FamilyMeans 2019).
Furthermore, emotions are heightened for both parent and child during this difficult time which could result in feelings of guilt or anger, or irritability for either party involved (Familymeans 2019) Furthermore these emotions, which are not correctly managed, could ultimately lead to towards more destructive behavior such as drug use or criminal activity amongst teens who experience parental divorce (Familymeans 2019). Similarly, divorce can cause increased stress-related health problems, such as depression and anxiety (Familymeans 2019) and loss of faith in the marriage family unit.
Although there are many potential adverse impacts associated with divorce on children’s lives, there are steps that both parents can take together to reduce some of its negative consequences. For instance, having an open dialogue about what happened during the marriage, providing emotional support and attending therapy sessions together if needed all have been shown empirically help improve overall adjustment among young people affected by parental breakups(Jacobson 1978).
III. Method
A. Participants
The study to establish the Impact of Divorce on Children and Child’s Behavior would require participants to succeed. The study participants could include children who have experienced a divorce and their parents and those who have not gone through the experience. This will allow comparing how family dynamics affect a child’s behavior.
In terms child going to be studied, the study will look at various factors such as communication between parent and child, changes in academic performance or social activities since the divorce occurred, and any behavioral issues that may arise from it (such as aggression or withdrawal). The study will also explore if there are any differences depending on the age when it comes time for them to deal with their parent’s separation or divorce. For the sample group size, enough participants will be recruited to make the results statistically significant. However, the sample size will be small enough that resources will not be stretched too thin to manage all the data collected from each participant. Therefore, around 20-30, families should suffice for this project. The study will utilize random sampling techniques such as drawing names out of hats or assigning numbers associated with potential individuals within specific criteria (for instance, divorced parents whose children range between ages 5-10). By doing this, the study will ensure an adequate representation across gender while maintaining some control over who participates in the research project.
B. Instrumentation
The instrumentation process for a study on the impact of divorce on children and child behavior will involve several methods to measure variables. First, interviews with parents and their children will be conducted to gain insight into how each family member has been affected by the divorce. This could include questions about how they felt before, during, and after the divorce and any behavior changes that may have occurred since then. Additionally, surveys can be administered to assess stress levels or emotional distress among participants due to separation or other related factors. Surveys may also ask about behaviors such as aggression towards peers or siblings that might have changed following a parental split-up.
Another way of measuring variables will be through observation techniques which will be helpful when studying younger children who cannot verbalize their feelings accurately enough for an interview setting but still show signs of being impacted by a significant life event like this one through nonverbal communication cues such as facial expressions or body language shifts over time (before versus after). Furthermore, school records will be consulted if available since these often provide valuable information regarding academic performance, which could indicate whether there was any significant change in achievement level resulting from parental separation or divorce. This would help establish correlations between educational outcomes and family structure more concretely than relying on personal accounts from parent and child interviews or surveys.
Similarly, quantitative data analysis will form part of the research design so that all results collected via these various instruments can then be compared against one another statistically speaking. This will allow the researchers to identify patterns within individual cases and across them, thereby allowing them to draw broader conclusions regarding what effects exactly divorces tend to produce when it comes to their influence upon young people’s lives.
C. Procedures
When using quantitative data, survey methods or interviews will collect information from parents about their experiences with divorce and its effects on their children. When using qualitative data, interviews will be conducted with participants who have gone through a divorce and those currently going through it.
Ethical considerations must also be taken into account when collecting data to ensure that all participants are treated fairly and respectfully throughout the process. This will include obtaining informed consent from each participant before any interview so they fully understand what they agree to participate in and how their information will be used afterward. Additionally, researchers should strive for confidentiality by not sharing personal details obtained during an interview without prior permission from each participant involved in the study.
Moreover, after analyzing results collected during this research project, careful consideration will be given to interpreting findings objectively rather than making assumptions based on personal bias or opinionated views regarding specific topics discussed within this field, such as custody battles between divorced couples or financial implications associated with raising children after a separation has occurred between two spouses.
IV. Analysis
The type of data analysis used will depend on the research goals and objectives. For quantitative results, tables and graphs will be created to visually represent the data collected from participants to identify patterns or trends within groups. In addition, statistical analyses such as t-tests or chi-square tests will be conducted to measure differences between two variables (for instance divorced parents vs. non-divorced parents).
Similarly, qualitative methods will also be used for this type of research project to gain more insight into how individuals perceive their experiences with divorce and their effects on their children’s behavior. This will involve interviews with participants where they are asked open-ended questions about what they have observed regarding changes in their child’s emotional state since going through a divorce process or having experienced it growing up as a child. Through these conversations, researchers will uncover themes related to how people feel about divorces affecting them emotionally, which would not necessarily show up quantitatively but still provides valuable information that should not be overlooked when trying to understand this complex issue further.
In addition, qualitative and quantitative approaches will be potentially incorporated together using surveys that incorporate both closed-ended items (quantitative) and open-ended items (qualitative ), allowing for comparisons across different types of responses from each participant while still gaining some depth understanding of individual perspectives. All three approaches will offer unique ways for analyzing the information gathered during this study providing comprehensive insights into how exactly divorces affect children’s behaviors over time.
V. Discussion
The proposed research to establish the impact of divorce on children and child’s behavior will have certain limitations. One limitation is that it would be difficult to measure the long-term effects of divorce on a child’s behavior since such products may not manifest until much later in life. Additionally, it can be challenging to control for factors such as family background or other environmental influences that could affect a child’s behaviors and attitudes toward their parents after a divorce. Furthermore, there could also be ethical considerations when dealing with minors involved in this study due to their vulnerability during this period.
If successful results were found from this research project, one implication would involve providing better services for divorced families where both parents remain actively involved in raising their children even after separation. This type of service might include counseling sessions for adults and children so they can learn how best to cope with any changes brought about by the end of a marriage or civil union. These services should also help lessen any negative emotions associated with going through an emotionally taxing event like divorce so that everyone involved can move forward positively into new stages of life without feeling overly burdened by past experiences.
Another possible result stemming from this study would involve making policy changes at the government level, which ensures more excellent protection against parental alienation syndrome (PAS). PAS occurs when one parent deliberately influences their offspring against spending time with another parent following separation. Thus, laws protecting vulnerable parties affected by PAS are essential. All these findings should help gain further insight into how divorces affect individuals – especially young ones -and provide guidance on how best to assist them during transitionary periods within familial relationships.
VI References Cited
Demo, D. H., & Acock, A. C. (1988). The Impact of Divorce on Children. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 50(3), 619. https://doi.org/10.2307/352634
FamilyMeans. (2019). What are the effects of divorce on children? Family Means. https://www.familymeans.org/effects-of-divorce-on-children.html
Jacobson, D. S. (1978). The Impact of Marital Separation/Divorce on Children. Journal of Divorce, 1(4), 341–360. https://doi.org/10.1300/j279v01n04_05
Malone, P. S., Lansford, J. E., Castellino, D. R., Berlin, L. J., Dodge, K. A., Bates, J. E., & Pettit, G. S. (2004). Divorce and child behavior problems: Applying latent change score models to life event data. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 11(3), 401–423. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15328007sem1103_6
Petrelli Previtera, LLC. (2023). Divorce statistics for 2022. Www.petrellilaw.com. https://www.petrellilaw.com/divorce-statistics-for-2022/#:~:text=What%20Percent%20of%20Marriages%20End
Williams-Owens, W. (2017). CUNY academic works CUNY academic works all dissertations, theses, and capstone projects dissertations, theses, and capstone projects the behavioral effects divorce can have on children the behavioral effects divorce can have on children. https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3353&context=gc_etds#:~:text=Studies%20have%20shown%20that%20children
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