Impact of Divorce on Personality of a Child June, 2014 | Page 2

Impact of Divorce on Children
Introduction
From the mid 1980s to the present times, there has been a sharp increase in the divorce
rates; resulting in a greater number of nontraditional and single-parent families. This article shall
aim to highlight the impact of divorce on children. It has been observed that as compared to
nuclear families, children belonging to broken families exhibit a host of behavioral trends which
raise concerns regarding their emotional balance. There is doubt the little the fact that family
composition plays a key role in a child’s development and well-being. Similarly, factors such as
anti-social behavior and gender-role orientations are also affected by family structures. Children
who have greater exposure to family conflicts or disrupted families are more prone to exhibit
such behavior.
What different theories suggest?
Parents often serve as the primary and initial role model for their children. According to
the social learning theory, parents act as reinforcement for their child’s behavior and assist in
framing the response patterns of their children. The role and presence of parents is therefore
essential as they act as parental models through which a child learns appropriate behavior. The
same concept is also supported by a host of other theories including the confluence theory and
other anthropological theories. In case of a divorce, children are forced to move away from the
nuclear family structures which in turn pose problems in their development. For adolescents, the
impacts are far more detrimental. In the absence of a single parent, specifically the father, a child
is more prone to face problems associated with moral learning, cognitive development and
conformity. While negative effects are observed because of any cause of parental absence, they
are found to be more enhanced in cases of divorce, separation or even desertion.
Impact on boys and girls
A few researches have also highlighted more severe consequences associated with such
families and their children. These include antisocial behaviors, acute psychiatric disturbances
and an inherent lower level of wellbeing as compared to those who belong to nuclear families.
These problems maybe more severe in case of boys; who tend to go through longer adjustment
time period. For girls who belong to such families, the problems of increased anxiety levels,
lower self esteem and greater incidences of self control loss are felt.
Conclusion
Children who fall victim to parental conflicts are less attracted to their parents. Also, the
kinship ties in such families are often restrained and hence the limited social relations of these
children and their families are a major factor which inhibits their psychological well-being. In

Impact of Divorce on Children

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