Divorce and the Effects
...to an individual. Statistics show that children of divorced families have greater behavioral problems. Mavis Hetherington (1993) reports that 90% of adolescent boys and girls with parents that are married, were within normal range of problems, and 10% had serious problems that needed some kind of help. The percentage for divorced families was that 74% of boys and 66% of girls were in the normal range and 26% of boys 34% of girls were in the problematic range. This clearly shows that children of divorced families have greater behavorial problems than children with married parents. Studies show that children who have divorced parents are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders. Doing well in school, and having a stable relationship with peers is a challenge. Children from divorced families have difficulty with attatchment (Fonagy et al., 1996). This can either occur with stepparents or their own intimate relationship. Attachment difficulties that occur tend to happen later in life with interpersonal relationships (Allen, Hauser, and Borman-Spurell 1996). An element that triggers negative consequences is Trauma. Children experience a great deal of trauma when a family unit is disrupted. We need to take a look at what Trauma is to understand what is happening here. The definition of Trauma is first of all an uncontrollable event. A child may encounter Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after a divorce. This is a result of a traumatic event (Lang 1977). It is this Trauma that is the primary contributor to the behavioral/mood problems that children will encounter throughout their lives. Trauma for the changing of schools, child care, and homes ...