The effects of divorce on children and families Research Paper

The effects of divorce on children and families - Research Paper Example Furthermore, the court may decide who of the two is responsible for the custody of the children (Stewart 34). However, regardless of the nature and type of divorce, divorce has varying impacts on children and the family unit as a whole. Children, especially young ones are left devastated by the ordeal, and this remains glued in their minds for years to come. For example, according to psychologists, young girls who are affected by divorce from an early age develop a fear for men as they grow up, and this impacts negatively on their opposite sex relationships. The same applies to young boys who are affected by divorce from an early age. In summary, effects of divorce on children are classified into psychological, emotional, social, financial and physical effects. Apart from children, other members of the family are also affected by divorce ordeals. These may be relatives of the divorcees or the divorcees themselves. As mentioned earlier, divorce has a lasting effect on people; hence, family members are affected permanently by this ordeal especially if they were attached to the divorcees. Divo rce breaks family relationships and bonds (Gladden 57). This paper analyses in detail the effect that divorce has on family members and especially children. I will first discuss the effect on children, and then I will discuss the effect on the family unit as a whole. Statistics in the US reveal that every year, approximately one million children suffer their parents’ divorce. The same statistics reveal that half of children witness their parents’ divorce before they are 18 years old. According to research by Gladden (2009), half of all American children will witness their parents’ break up and half of these will also witness the break up of the second marriage of their parents. The same research suggests that, of the children who have witnessed the break up of their parents’ marriage, one in ten will also witness the second break up of their parents.