--Original published at Zachs College Blog

Over the past few decades, divorce rates have dramatically increased to in-between 40% and 50%. Divorce has shown that the children of their families are usually impacted the hardest. Although parents splitting up might be the best for the family, a debatable argument presents on the effects it has on children as a whole. Before a divorce, many parents contemplate the results it could possibly have on their family and most important children. In this debate, it will help you grasp an understanding on how harmful divorce can be on children and how some divorces will have no consequences on children.

As divorces rates have dramatically increased in the past decades, it has gradually became more and more of a normal thing. Divorce happens very frequently as the divorce rates are nearing a whopping 50% or half of marriages end up in splitting. The biggest result of divorce on children is change. “Research has found that kids struggle the most during the first year or two after the divorce.” It has been proven that kids will experience stress, anxiety, and anger following the divorce. It will take time for these changes In their kids to slowly diminish. Many children fear the fact of losing contact with one of their parents or even their relationship as a whole. Amy Morin states that “Decreased contact affects the parent-child bond and researchers have found many children feel less close to their fathers after divorce.” Even the relationship with the mother, usually the primary care giver after divorce is affected as the mother often shows less support and affection to their children after such a traumatizing event. Kids also gain stress with having to move schools, move houses, live in an empty house with a single parent and financial hardships will all contribute to the negativity the child will experience. Morin also states “In the United States, most adults remarry within four to five years after a divorce”. This provides many kids with ongoing changes to their family orientation. Introducing a step-parent and kids can be a big modification for the kid and can show negative effects on the child’s behaviors and attitudes. The failure rates of a second marriage are even higher than the rates for first time marriages so these children will have a larger chance of having to go through multiple separations. “studies have also found depression and anxiety rates are higher in children from divorced parents”. It has  been shown that children have an increased risk for mental health issues regardless of what age the child may be. Other issues may include behavioral issues and decreases in academic performance.

According to Jane Anderson, “Each child and each family are obviously unique, with different strengths and weaknesses, different personalities and temperaments, and varying degrees of social, emotional, and economic resources, as well as differing family situations prior to divorce.” Divorce has shown to lower a Childs future success in education, emotions, behaviors, and most importantly family relationships. The child may lose economic support as now only one parent is bringing in income for the whole family. In most cases, kids will live with their mothers, and see their fathers on the weekends or whatever the parents agreement states. Loss of income will increase work time, which means children will be away from their parents more often which will diminish the parent-child relationship and leave the child with very little support. Anderson states that “Children living with single mothers are much more likely to live in poverty than children living with both married parents.” stated by Anderson. Children also witness a loss of emotional security involving both of their parents. Children state that they feel a weakened relationship with their mothers and they lack emotional support. As for the relationship with the father, it usually diminishes as well. With most kids living with their mothers, children will receive less time with their fathers. Divorced children believe their fathers are less caring and trustworthy after a divorce. Anderson provides a strong argument for each different effect a divorce has on children with supported research from other articles and studies provided.

Although divorce usually has a negative effect on the kid, sometimes in certain situations the results aren’t as harmful. Three common themes preside on explaining why divorce is easier for some kids than others. The first theme is that some kids simply are more sturdy when it comes to stress whether that is from past experiences or simply being born with the abilities to handle stress. These kids manage stress by doing things that will keep their mind off of everything going on, or maybe they even have a special someone to talk to and help get everything off of their minds. Secondly, all kids come from different backgrounds, all kids have witnesses and have seen things that could make them mentally tougher than others. You can not assume that all problems stem from divorce as it could be anything else that might be affecting these kids. The last and most important theme is how divorce and how everything plays out varies from family to family. How the divorce process goes will affect the kid the most. According to a Canadian resident, divorce in her family taught her to be more adaptable as the following months and years of her life following the divorce would be filled with good/bad changes. According to Dr. Lisa Ferrari, “A natural byproduct of going through divorce is that you are required to be more adaptive.” Divorce can also help a child realize their own strengths and ability to do things by themselves. When having a single parent, who is more than likely working a lot to help provide for you and the family, you have to begin to become more independent. Divorce will also help children gain a sense of appreciation towards other, and helps divorced children grasp a better understanding of what might be going with the children around them. Dr. Ferrari says “When their peers have family problems, it’s very relatable for them.” divorced children have a better chance of relating and helping other children out when the same type of situations happen for them.

The information in all of these articles are scholarly as it has been taken from thorough research studies and has been measured by studying the actions/behaviors of children who went through a divorce In their family. I believe a divorce can effect a kid very negatively in all aspects of life but it will all depend on what this kid has been through before the divorce and his/her capability to deal with stress and anxiety of their family differences.

Sources:

Cherlin, A., & Furstenberg, F. F., Jr. (1989, March 19). DIVORCE DOESN’T ALWAYS
HURT THE KIDS. Retrieved from The Washington Post website:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1989/03/19/
divorce-doesnt-always-hurt-the-kids/6432e596-b8d3-45f1-a3f7-0a1029a59240/
?utm_term=.8bd6fa28e664

Anderson, J. (2014, November). The impact of family structure on the health of
children: Effects of divorce. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
pmc/articles/PMC4240051/

--Original published at LivsCollegeBlog

--Original published at Marisa Psych Blog

The word “Divorce” used to be taboo many, any years ago. Now it is becoming very common in todays society, leaving marriages with children divided. Divorce is something that many children have to go through, and its not the easiest thing to understand or live through growing up. Personally, my parents got divorced when I was 3 years old. My younger sister was only reaching the age of 1, so she would never grow up to see our parents together at all.  The biggest debate on the topic seems to be whether or not divorce affects kids, either negatively or not at all.

In an article produced by psychologytoday.com, titled with the name, “The Impact of Divorce on Young Children and Adolescents,” it clearly states that affects are seem throughout children with divorced parents. Though this source seems to relay the fact that age plays a major role, it also shows the general ways children react at several different age ranges. Depending on how young the child is, divorce shapes how the grow. If the child is younger, it can make them grow to be a more dependent person, while if the child is in their adolescent years, it can have them growing to be more independent. Divorce changes someone no matter what age. Having a child see the splitting of their two parents has many affects on them. Seeing love vanish, commitment disappear, a shift in the house they are growing up in, only being with one of their parents at a time, all of these things have a significant affect on a child. Research throughout this article reveals that for younger children, trust becomes a harder thing for them to comprehend. The split creates instability, as well as a feeling of insecurity in a household.

Reading through the Scientific American article , “Is Divorce Bad for Children,” offers the opinion that children grow quickly and adapt well. Divorce is seen as hard on children no matter what, but it just might not damage or hurt them as much as others may think according to this piece of literature. This article was found through a magazine with scientific studies provided along side of it, proving its credibility to the public. Relating to the article, it states that divorce will affect most children but for not as long as every would think. It is more of a short term effect with couple negative characteristics that tag along through the process. expressing anger, shock and anxiety are very common seen through children with divorcing parents. Long term, there studies showed there was little to no difference in children with separated parents.

Looking into other sources, I found an article focusing souly on the steps and ways divorce affects children. In the article from verywellfamily.com , an article written by Amy Morin was named, “The Psychological Effects of Divorce on Children.” As divorce rates continue to keep climbing, this topic gradually increases with questions. This article seems to line up very well with my first article I found. Most kids are seen to have some type of negative effect by divorce. Kids are even seen to question themselves, asking if it is their fault or why this is happening to their family. Depending on age, it is hard for a child to fully comprehend what is happening around them. Growing up with two parents and then all of a sudden you have to see one of them at a time complete shift the dynamic they grew up knowing to being a normal thing. Different kids have different reactions to divorce but the common factor is confusion. Struggling with the idea of a completely different demeanor throughout the rest of their childhood. Both short and long term negative affects are seen through research in this article. Changes in behavior, school grades, attitude, aggression, and levels of stress are all commonly seen in children with divorced parents. Divorce is negative all around, for every person involved.

Another article seeming to support the fact of divorce not being the worst thing in affecting a childs life came from LIVESCIENCE. The article titled, “Divorce Not Always Bad for Kids,” was written by Rachael Rettner. In this piece, she explains that the worlds view of< “staying together for the kids,” isn’t always the best idea and can cause more damage to them them good. Growing up with parents that have split apart is healthier then seeing your parents fight and disagree constantly. High conflict inside homes creates a sense of disconnect, not only through the connection of both parents in raising their children, but through the relationships of child to parent. Staying together with more conflict seems to cause issues then divorce with less conflict between parents. Each family case is different, but a childs happiness comes from outside factors and a major key to there life is how their parents are living.

As a person with divorced parents, I really do believe it has an extremely negative effect on you as a child. My parents divorced when I was very young, but I grew up with arguments, division, step parents(which made things twice as hard), and a complete split in my family. Having a younger sister, I couldn’t always feels effected because I was looking out for her and how she was feeling most of the time. Not only that, but having to split everything down the middle took meaning out of most family events. Things like holidays, birthdays, vacations, all of these things should be done together as a family unit. In my case, my mom had soul custody of my sister and I, leaving my dad with weekends and couple weekdays every once in awhile. I have always wondered what it would have been like to have parents that would have been together throughout the course of my childhood and how different things could have been today.

--Original published at HarrysCollegeBlog

Divorce, as tragic as it is, is getting more and more common in the US as of late, with half of all marriages being Divorced. This is not only tragic for the 2 parties involved, but for the children as well. Children watching their parents fight over divorce can be a traumatic event in their life, especially at younger ages. Suffering a great deal of pain at such a young age can greatly affect how the child grows, and most often in a negative way. They often spend a great deal of time trying to find out how to deal with their parents’ divorce, or feel powerless to stop it as it happens.

Children of different age groups act differently to divorce, as some don’t have the brain capacity to know whats going on, but still recognize there is loss. Infants and toddlers, for example “may not understand what is happening but recognize that they are experiencing a loss (Keenan).” they tend to feel anger at their parents and will throw temper tantrums and cry to get them to stay. Others such as Teenagers become more distant from family, or even try to reunite their broken family.

Regardless of age, however, all children are affected by divorce, and go through a lot of anxiety pain and loneliness. The only positive that can be brought out of divorce is when the divorced couple are using violence, and the children see divorce as a way to get out of such violence. but more often than not, divorce is terrible for children, and there is no “good” way out, only suffering and pain. a study recently done based of a refusal of contact scale done on children of divorce showed that divorce has negative results, but can vary depending on the child’s refusal rate.  Overall, Children are better off not experiencing divorce, but if relations between parents result in violence, the divorce’s negative effect can be lessened.

Sources:

Keenan, M. “Children of Divorced Parents.” Salem Press Encyclopedia of Health, 2014. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.etown.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ers&AN=98402248&site=eds-live.

Huff, Scott C, et al. “Development and Validation of a Scale to Measure Children’s Contact Refusal of Parents Following Divorce.” American Journal of Family Therapy, vol. 45, no. 1, Jan. 2017, pp. 66–77. Consumer Health Complete on EBSCOhost, EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/01926187.2016.1275066. Accessed 8 Oct. 2018.

--Original published at Manami PSY105blog

People may believe that divorce is harmful to children and influences on children’s future. Although the understanding of divorce is increasing, there is still the tendency that children without separation from parents are happier than children with experiences of parent’s divorce. There are two sides of arguments about the effects of divorce on children. One side of the arguments is supporting that divorce influence on children’s behavior, mental issues, and academic ability. On the other side, there are two arguments say that divorce is not bad for children because they will be able to deal with the situation children face.

According to the article titled “The Psychological Effects of Divorce on Children”, Amy Morin explains there are emotional difficulties which children might struggle after their parents divorced. She says 48 percent of children in the USA and UK experienced parent’s divorce by age 16 and live with single-parent. Even though these children seem to get over the tough time, some of them continue to have difficulties in changes. For example, children may be confused when they must go between two hoses and worry about losing love from their parents someday. They also may blame on themselves about their parent’s divorce and feel anger to change situations and lifestyle such as a new hose and school. It is not easy to adjust to the new lifestyle. If children had a step-parents and step-siblings, they would receive a stress. In addition, children likely to have a mental issue and behavior problem caused by a parent’s divorce. Especially, adolescents with parent’s divorce may take a risk in terms of sexual activities, alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. The author also suggests that people with parent’s divorce may tend to divorce when they had a family. There are several negative effects on children because of parent’s divorce.

Mitchell Kalpakgian also discusses negative effects on children regarding education in his article. First, parent’s conflict at home reduces academic achievement by interrupting their concentration on the study caused by their emotional insecurity and instability like anxiety and anger. They do not have an environment where is quiet and they can be relaxed to study in the house with conflicts. Second, children tend to not to join school activity including the study because sadness from divorce deprives energy, excitement, and enthusiasm from children. Third, he insists that children with parent’s divorce tend to lose motivation of attendance and school because they may not be able to get a clear sense of expectation from two parent’s same ideas values of education by adjusting two different families. They may have an attitude of nothing matters like “Who Cares?”. It is important to care children’s emotional changes caused by parent’s divorce to support their academic achievement.

The article titled “Is Divorce Bad for Children?”, by Hal Arkowitz and Scotto O. Lilienfeld, suggests that children recover rapidly after their parent’s divorce especially emotional negative effects. According to the examination at Pennsylvania State University in the article says that there are only small differences between children of divorced parents and children without the experience of parent’s divorce regarding “academic achievement, emotional and behavior problems, delinquency, self-concept, and social relationships.” (Hal, A and Scotto O. L, P3). Besides this, children’s anxiety or the stress of divorce can be reduced by love and stability from parents. The authors also claim that the rate of social, physical and emotional issues of children with divorced parents is only 15 percent higher than the one of children with both of parents. There is even a possibility this difference is caused by other issues such as poor parenting. In addition, it is important for children that parents give warm and love to their after they divorced and support their children emotionally and socially. Children’s personality and characteristic also influence to recover well.

Victoria Clayton supports the idea that divorce is not only bad for children and children will do well. Especially, even if parents divorced, they are still parents who love their children, and should work together as “co-parents.” It gives good consequences for both parents and children to decide separations because parents will be able to appreciate and respect each other by separating, and children still do well thanks to parent’s strong corporation.

I agree with the idea that children can get over parent’s divorce even though they are hurt emotionally. Because they will be able to receive love from both of parents in a little different way from the others. They can do well depends on how divorced parents corporate each other and how they raise their children. My parents have separated since I was in elemental school, and they divorced. I found out the differences from my friends with both parents. However, I have never felt jealousy to them because I am satisfied with their decision and love from them. I could do well because they did well. Even if it depends on children’s characteristic whether they will recover soon, parents could help them.

References

Morin A. (August 24,2018). The Psychological Effects of Divorce on Children. Retrieved from https://www.verywellfamily.com/psychological-effects-of-divorce-on-kids-4140170

Kalpakgian M. (February,20,2015). Divorce’s Effect on a Child’s Education. Retrieved from http://truthandcharityforum.org/divorces-effect-on-a-childs-education/

Arkowitz H, Lilienfeld S O. (March,1,2013)Is Divorce Bad for Children? Retrieved from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-divorce-bad-for-children/

Clayton V. (12,11,2007). Divorce doesn’t have to destroy the kids. Retrieved from http://www.nbcnews.com/id/21474430/ns/health-childrens_health/t/divorce-doesnt-have-destroy-kids/#.W7q21S_jZ-U

#spotlight #Development

--Original published at Bailey PSY 105 Blog

It is not divorce as an act that damages children, it is the toxic environment that is created when two parents no longer love or respect one another. At the same time, one child’s experience with having divorced parents is not going to be the same as the next, as every couple get divorced for different reasons, at different times, and with varying levels of maturity and tact. Regardless of whether or not it was the act of divorce that triggered the child’s emotional trauma, divorce is caused, amplified, and exaggerated by the parents.

This source argues that divorce is the worst thing you can do to a child and that divorce can be lethal to a developing child’s psyche and mental processing. The article cites The Longevity Project as cause for this argument, claiming that divorced children have a shorter lifespan by five years than children of families that are together. This article also states that children never recover from this trauma they endure from divorce, and that that trauma is comparable to an earthquake destroying one’s home. Another point the author makes is that boys coming from broken homes have difficulty managing their anger and aggression and will have trust issues their entire lives. Girls with divorced parents are hypothesized to have problems with self-esteem and intimacy, and also develop trust issues that they will carry with them throughout their lives. The final point that this article makes is that divorce is more damaging to a child than the death of a parent, because when a parent dies the child loses hope of ever having a whole family. With divorce, the child retains the fantasy that their parents will one day reconcile and come back together. Allan Bloom was an American philosopher, classicist and academician. He was a very credible man that taught at Cornell University, University of Toronto, and Yale University. The website this article was published on his site and under his name, so it leads the reader to believe that the article is written by someone educated and informed. I don’t think this article is correct, because I believe that two happy homes are far healthier that one disjointed family. Divorce can surely be damaging to a child if not handled in the right way but living in an unhappy or unhealthy home can be far worse.

In this article written by Jann Gumbiner, the author uses personal anecdotes and experience to detail the damaging effects of divorce on children. She claims that there is no such thing as an intelligent divorce; divorce is bad, plain and simple. The touches on the blame children place on themselves when parents get divorced and how they lose motivation and direction and quickly become ashamed of their family. She also argues that children with divorced parents see divorce as more of an option in their own marriages and are less likely to stick it out and work for a happy marriage. The article was written by a woman who was a child of divorce as well as a psychologist with a self-proclaimed ‘excellent education.’ It is also published on Psychology Today, which is a fairly reputable publication where psychologists with different specialties and backgrounds come together to share their insights and research. One problem I have with the way that this article was written is how much the author bases her findings off of her own personal experiences with divorce. I don’t think that this article is correct either. The author pulls far too much from her personal experience growing up in a broken home and uses little to no evidence aside from her own life to back her claims.

This article, written by Susan Pease Gadoua, argues that children are not damaged because of the act of divorce, they are damaged because of parental fighting and inconsistencies within their home life. She believes you can’t measure if divorce hurts children, because there is no way to compare the outcome of a family that gets divorced with a secondary outcome of the same exact family in a world where the parents stay together. She backs this with an argument that families differ by age of children, socio economic status, culture, degree of tension in the home, etc. Ms. Gadoua believes that divorce can provide relief for children because they do not have to endure the parents fighting any longer. This article is written by an author of multiple books on divorce, as well as a licensed therapist specializing in marriage and divorce. Like the previous article, this article is published on Psychology Today, which is a decently reputable source. I agree completely with this author’s point of view. She recognizes that an unhealthy home can be psychologically and physically damaging to children, and how divorce is sometimes the only option to keep parents and kids alike happy and healthy.

The final article I have chosen is written by Rachael Rettner. She too believes the idea of ‘staying together for the kids can do more harm than good and can be very harmful to children of any age. She believes children of parents who fight a lot yet stay married experience more conflict in their own adult relationships than children who do fight and get divorced. Rettner acknowledges the research that children who come from divorced families are more likely to be divorced, but questions whether or not this is due to the divorce itself or the fighting and drama that went on in the home leading up to the divorce. In her own words, “Constant exposure to their parent’s strife is likely what causes children’s future relationships to suffer.” Rachael Rettner is a health science writer for the website Live Science. Live Science is a science news website typically coordinated with major news outlets like Yahoo!, MSNBC, AOL, and Fox News. This source seems credible because it only publishes articles written by writers employed by the news source, so it does not receive or publish pieces written by nonprofessional writers. This specific author also has a degree in health sciences, making her specifically a credible source. I highly agree with all of the claims thus author makes. I appreciate that she acknowledges the evidence presented by the other side of the argument yet contrasts it with her own opinion and background.

Through my own personal experience as well as the claims made by the authors in the articles, I believe that divorce is not inherently harmful to children and they can come out the other side. I don’t believe that divorce as an act is what leads to the mental harm we see in children later on, but that it is the parent’s fighting and lack of respect for one another that hurts their kids.

Citations:

Bloom, Allan. “Divorce Always Harms Children.” Allan Bloom PhD and Associates. 6 Oct. h      2018.

Divorce Hurts Children, Even Grown Ones. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-teenage-mind/201110/divorce-hurts-   children-even-grown-ones

Divorce Doesn’t Harm Children – Parents Fighting Harms Child. (n.d.). Retrieved from            https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/contemplating-divorce/200911/divorce-          doesnt-harm-children-parents-fighting-harms-child

Divorce Doesn’t Harm Children – Parents Fighting Harms Child. (n.d.). Retrieved from             https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/contemplating-divorce/200911/divorce-          doesnt-harm-children-parents-fighting-harms-child

Psychology Today-Jann Gumbiner

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-teenage-mind/201110/divorce-hurts-children-even-grown-ones

Psychology Today- Susan Pease Gadoua

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/contemplating-divorce/200911/divorce-doesnt-harm-children-parents-fighting-harms-child

--Original published at Wolfman Productions

“Many couples who know their marriage is over will actually put off a divorce because they believe that it is better for the children if they stay together.” (Leamon). After reading over this statement and thinking about it, it makes sense that a couple could do this, but in many cases it’s the exact opposite. Divorces are mostly seen as negative events, but I believe that these events are positive more than negative.

Divorce can be seen as positive or negative depending on the information you’re seeking. A negative effect that takes place is that the children spend less time with each parent. No matter how the couples decided the time their child spends with each of them, the child is still losing time with both parents. Sam Bone from divorcemag.com explains this point by saying “Every minute that your spouse spends with your child is a minute that you will not get to spend with your child. Whether we like it or not, it is a zero-sum game. Regardless of whether you receive every other weekend, week-on week-off, your spouse receives every other weekend, or whatever arrangement you may have, it will be less than you had before.” (Bone). Sam also brings in a positive point about his by saying that if one spouse get their child during the weekend you don’t have them, that spouse can take that time to recharge their batteries and collect their thoughts so they’re ready the next time they have their child. Both parents could also come together for some events like holidays and birthdays so the child can see both parents together.

The site divorcemag.com gives people who need support with divorce. You can look for lawyers, mediators, and other information the couples might need who are going through this dilemma. Sam is also a creditable source for this information because he’s a lawyer who practices in the areas of divorce, custody, and criminal defense and he was also selected as one of the top 40 lawyers under 40 by the National Trial Lawyers Association in 2015. He’s has experience with this department and should be seen as creditable with this information.

The children could also feel insecure about certain things because of the divorce. Reinier Bloem from children-and-divorce.com states that “They do not understand the divorce very well. All they know is that everything will be different.” (Bloem). The children could also have many questions about this like will I be able to see my friends, did I contribute to the divorce, and will I live with my brothers and sisters in the future or will they live with the other parent? These could make the children gain more stress because like Bloem said, the children don’t fully understand the divorce and could make it seem like they caused the divorce. Aside from bring up the negative effects, Bloem also lists ways to lessen the blow the children could take. If the parents present a clear picture to the child of their future and do it proper and quick, the child could calm down and understand the situation better.

The site children-and-divorce.com can be used as a good source for information. It give the user of the site information like divorce statistics, explaining joint and child custody, and going into the psychology of the entire matter.

There are still more questions that parents who go through divorce and don’t have an idea what’s going to happen. Neil Farber from psychologytoday.com lists questions that parents ask about divorce, but the one I want to look at is “Is my child going to go through this alone? How common is divorce for children?” (Farber). The answer that Farber has to this question is as follows, “It is estimated that between 30-50% of children will experience parental divorce before they turn 18. So, it is likely that your child will know many children who either have gone, or are going through, a similar situation.” This is something to think about if you’re a parent who knows a child that’s going through this, or a parent who is going through divorce and want to makes sure their child understands what’s happening. When the question asks if their child has to go through this alone, Farber’s article answers this question, but Shawn Leamon from divorceandyourmoney.com offers more insight to this answer. Leamon says that divorces can lead to better relationships for the parents. Leamon says “Once you have released yourself from the confines of an unhappy marriage, you open yourself up to the possibility for a better mate.” (Leamon) This mainly talks about the parents, but the child can also make a stronger connection to the new parent their father/mother ends up finding. Leamon brings up a great point of how the children can see how making a new relationship is better after a divorce. He states ” Your children watch and learn from the decisions you make. They will see how ending a bad relationship and finding one that is healthier and better for you is worth it in the long run.” (Leamon) This is a great lesson to learn for the children. If they can see how the relationship isn’t right for them and can leave it before it gets worse, then they can improve their life by finding a new partner.

Psychologytoday.com offers a service that finds a therapist to help you with any issues that you need helped with. The author, Neil Farber, is creditable because he has BS degree with honors in Psychology and completed dual Doctorate degrees in Research and Medicine. Farber is also a certified life coach, personal trainer and hypnotherapist. Shawn Leamon is the host of the “Divorce and Your Money Podcast and has a MBA while being a part of the CDFA. The site divorceandyourmoney.com gives the user different things to ponder regarding the topic of divorce. The podcast is where to find the most information, but you can look through the blog posts to find the full transcripts of each episode.

With the information present, I can see that divorce can have negative effects on children, but there are also positive effects as well. The children may face stress and struggle with questions regarding the divorce itself, but with help from the parents these worries can lessen and the child can understand why all this happened and won’t end up blaming themselves for the reason their parents separated. With some couples these problems may not appear, but they still need to make sure their children understand why these events happened and to make sure they aren’t to blame for it all. With all this the children will be able to learn from this and make their own life better because of it.

Sources

Bloem, Reinier. “Children Negative Effects of Divorce.” Children and Divorce: Information, Tips and Real Life Stories for Divorced Parents., 2018, http://www.children-and-divorce.com/children-negative-effects-of-divorce.html.

Bone, Sam. “3 Negative Effects Divorce Can Have on Children.” Divorce Magazine, 18 Dec. 2017, http://www.divorcemag.com/articles/3-negative-effects-divorce-can-have-on-children/.

Farber , Neil. “Enhancing Positive Outcomes for Children of Divorce.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 30 Mar. 2018, http://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-blame-game/201803/enhancing-positive-outcomes-children-divorce.

Leamon, Shawn. “Potential Positive Effects of Divorce on Children (It May Not All Be Bad News…).” Divorce and Your Money, Divorce and Your Money, 26 Nov. 2017, divorceandyourmoney.com/blogs/positive-effects-of-divorce-on-children/.

--Original published at Tyler's Ideas

Divorce or, the legal dissolution of a marriage, is primarily seen as negative when it comes to children and the effects on them. As divorce becomes more and more prevalent in the United States, the number of children affected by this has increased greatly. There are a number of people who believe all the effects on children are negative and the child will greatly be harmed when going through a divorce. Others, however, believe a child may escape, harm free, or maybe even with some life skills, those without divorced parents, may not have.

Negatively, both authors, Sam Bone and Jayna Solinger, believe a child’s time spent with each parent is greatly affected by divorce. Jayna Solinger, in “The Negative Effects of Divorce on Children”, uses facts and statistics, that are cited at the end of her writing, to support her argument about the negative effects in order to appeal to the ethos of the audience and prove its credibility. Sam Bone, author of “3 Negative Effects Divorce Can Have on Children” creates a sense of credibility through his profession of being a lawyer in the area of divorce. Both authors use statistics and evidence-based facts to support their claims. Although some may believe divorce can be nothing but harmful, other have shown that divorce is not always a bad thing.

The aspects of divorce that were negative were definitely harder to find making the articles that were found, not as credible as those of the negative side. Aside from this, Grant W. Mohi uses surveys and interviews to assess the impact of divorce on a young adults ability to form and maintain romantic relationships in “Positive Outcomes of Divorce: A Multi-Method Study on the Effects of Parental Divorce on Children.” This is a good way to asses and collect information and supplies good support for the claims made within the writing. Shawn Leamon’s, “Potential Positive Effects of Divorce on Children (It may not all be bad news…)” however does not have the support or evidence within his writing. Leamon’s credibility shows throw in his credentials of having an MBA and being the host of a #1 podcast. Although this may create a sense of ethos for the audience, statements made such as “children learn self-worth,” are not backed but by actual evidence, rather simple statements. Based on the information found, I believe there is a greater negative affect on children, rather than positive.

Through the research I conducted, I struggled when it came to find the information about what may not be so bad about divorce. I could not find factual studies that were backed up by support and experiments or a writing that was credible. The lack of credibility for a writing, lacks ethos, therefore making the writing feel as though it is not reliable. This was not true about the negative effects however. Each article I found had good hard evidence and explained a solid study within. Because of this reason I have to side with the negative effects of divorce on children.

Bone, Sam. “3 Negative Effects Divorce Can Have on Children.” Divorce Magazine, 8 Dec. 2017, www.divorcemag.com/articles/3-negative-effects-divorce-can-have-on-children/.

Leamon, Shawn. “Potential Positive Effects of Divorce on Children (It May Not All Be Bad News…).” Divorce and Your Money, Divorce and Your Money, 26 Nov. 2017, divorceandyourmoney.com/blogs/positive-effects-of-divorce-on-children/.

Mohi, Grant W. “Positive Outcomes of Divorce: A Multi-Method Study on the Effects of Parental Divorce on Children .” URJ, 22 Sept. 2015, urj.ucf.edu/docs/mohi.pdf .

Solinger, Jayna. “The Effects of Divorce on Children.” ISU Public Homepage Server, http://www.public.iastate.edu/~rhetoric/105H16/cova/jlscova.html.