Single Parents/children from divorce homes

The Impact of Divorce on Children

Over one in four children in the United States (26 ) live with one parent , typically their mother (Kreider , 2008 . Although some children of single parents belong to mothers who have never married , many of these children of single parents are the products of marriages that ended in divorce . Each year , approximately 1 .1 million more children experience the breakup of their parents ' marriage and the subsequent adjustment to life with a single parent (Kreider , 2008 . It is difficult to overstate the significance of divorce in the

life of the child . The divorce of a child 's parents affects virtually all areas of the child 's life . In addition to the loss of the physical presence of one of their parents in the house , children of divorce often experience relocation , new living arrangements , changes in the family 's financial status , and other adjustments (Kelly , 2007 . Divorce has been associated with declines in the child 's psychological , social , and physical well being (Hetherington , 2003

Research question

Although parents can predict some of the immediate impact that divorce will have on their children 's financial and social prospects in the near future , the long-term implications of divorce for children are less clear . The purpose of this is to examine the extent to which the effects of parental divorce on children continue into adulthood . Do children of divorce continue to be affected by the dissolution of their parents ' marriage after these children become adults

Hypothesis

This will be guided by a hypothesis which predicts that divorce is a life-changing event in the life of the child , the result of which continues to effect the child after he or she has become an adult Possible indicators that this hypothesis is correct might include lower rates of academic achievement , psychological problems , higher rates of unplanned pregnancies , higher rates of incarceration and other potential problems that might appear during adolescence and young adulthood . If the hypothesis is incorrect , then these problems should occur no more frequently among children of divorce than they do among children of parents who stayed married

Review of the Literature

Divorce is not an instantaneous event , but is the final stage of the deterioration of the relationship between marriage partners . The official divorce is typically proceeded by increased tensions between the two spouses and may include verbal altercations , physical abuse passive aggressive behaviors , and other acts of aggression and hostility between the spouses (Jeynes , 2006 . Such ongoing , serious conflict between parents has been associated with negative consequences for children , regardless of whether the parents stay married or ultimately become separated and divorced . Childhood exposure to domestic violence for example , has been associated with threats to the child 's health and safety , psychological adjustment problems , difficulty with social relationships , and lower academic achievement scores (Gordis Margolin 2000

These confounding variables make it difficult to determine which outcomes for adult children of divorced parents are the result of their parents ' decision to get a divorce and which...