Working with families in
particular circumstances
Divorce
Parents of Children with Special Needs
Teen Mothers
Families when Abuse Occurs
America and Divorce

Discussion
 What
are some reasons you personally
might consider a divorce?
 Is falling out of love an appropriate reason
for wanting a divorce?
 What were you taught growing up about the
acceptability of divorce?
 YouTube
- Divorce affects children!
Marriage and Divorce (2003)
60 million married couples in US
 40-50% of all marriages end in divorce

 Annually


2,187,000 marriages
 7.5 marriages per 1000 total population
1.25 million divorces annually
3.8 divorces per 1000 total population
Factors Affecting Divorce
Shift from agricultural to industrial society
 Social integration
 Individualistic American culture
 Demographic factors:

Employment status
 Income
 Educational level
 Ethnicity
 Religion.

Stations of Divorce

(Bohannan) As people divorce, they
undergo these “divorces” simultaneously.
Emotional
 Legal
 Economic
 Co-parental
 Community
 Psychic

Factors Affecting Divorce

Life Course Factors:

Intergenerational transmission (Amato,
1996)
Parental divorce increases chance of child’s
marriage ending within first five years by as
much as 70%.
 Increased risk of divorce is especially great if
both spouses experienced parental divorce.
 Effects are strongest when parents divorce early
in child’s life (age 12 or younger)

Consequences of Divorce

Economic consequences
Impoverishment of women
 Changed female employment patterns
 Fewer financial resources for family – often
leading to moves to cramped apartments
and less desirable neighborhoods

Consequences of Divorce

Non-economic consequences include:
More psychological distress, lower levels of
happiness, more social isolation, more
health problems.
 Divorced people are three times as likely to
commit suicide.
 Some divorced people experience higher
levels of personal growth and greater
autonomy.

Children and Divorce
Children in happy two-parent families are
the best adjusted
 Children in conflict-ridden two-parent
families are the worst adjusted.
 Children from single-parent families are
in the middle.
 Kids' Turn

Children and Divorce

Children of divorce suffer:
Reduction of income
 Weakening ties with fathers
 Deterioration in family life
 Loss of “residential stability”
 Problems in school
 Lower self-esteem
 Increased likelihood of drug abuse
 Greater likelihood of becoming teen parents

Children and Divorce

Three-Stage Process of divorce for
children:
Initial stage—Turmoil is greatest.
 Transition stage—Adjusting to new family.
 Restabilization stage—Integration of
changes.

Children and Divorce

Developmental tasks of divorce:
Acknowledging parental separation
 Disengaging from parental conflicts
 Resolving loss
 Resolving anger and self-blame
 Accepting the finality of divorce
 Achieving realistic expectations for later
relationship success

Factors Contributing to
Children’s Adjustment
Mental health of parents
 Quality of parent-child relationships
 Degree of anger vs cooperation
 Age, temperament, and flexibility of child
 Extent to which parents are willing to
have the same routines for the children
in each home

Children and Divorce

Adjustment to divorce:
Open discussion prior to divorce
 Involvement with noncustodial parent
 Lack of hostility between divorced parents
 Good psychological adjustment to divorce
by custodial parent
 Stable living situation and good parenting
skills.
 Continued involvement with the children by
both parents

Children and Divorce

Adjustment to divorce:
Not all children suffer negative
consequences.
 90% of children with divorced parents
achieve same level well-being as children of
continuously married parents (Amato,
2003).
 20-25% children from divorced families
have problems (Wallerstein)

Child Custody

Generally based on one of 2 standards:
The best interests of the child
 The least detrimental of the available
alternatives.


The major types of custody are sole,
joint, and split.
Children and Divorce
26% of children under the age of 18 live
with a divorced parent.
 39% of divorced women with children
live in poverty
 Civility among parents and assurance
that both still love the children is helpful
 Some need brief individual play therapy,
others need family counseling

Behavior problems

Children in single-parent or remarried
families do not do as well as those in
non-divorced households
25-30% of single-parent and divorced
households reported behavior problems,
while only 10% of non-divorced households
reported behavior problems with children.
 20% of children in stepfamilies have
behavior problems compared to 10% of
children in non-divorced families.

Child Custody

Sole custody
Accounts for 85% of all
U.S. divorce cases
 Women traditionally
have been responsible
for child rearing
 Many men do not feel
competent

Child Custody

Joint custody
Accounts for 10% of cases.
 Joint legal custody

Children live primarily with one parent
 Both parents share in decisions regarding the
children.


Joint physical custody
Requires parents to work out practical logistics
 …as well as feelings about each other.

Child Custody

Split custody
Splits the children between the parents
 Usually girls live with mother, boys with
father

The effects of remarriage on
children
Income is raised.
 Another adult is there to help.
 Behavior problems
 Blending two families presents a new set
of challenges

Blended family issues
Loyalty is a problem
 May feel guilty for bonding with a step
parent
 Children often act out, won’t even try to
like a step parent.
 Family must incorporate new parent’s
style and rules.

The stabilization period
The stepparent moves toward the role of
“intimate outsider”, which is somewhere
between parent and trusted friend.
 Stepparent role includes

Warmth toward and support of the
stepchildren.
 Little disciplining of the stepchildren.
 Support for the biological parent.
 Stepfathers in general tend to be less
involved than biological fathers.

Stepmother and stepfather
differences

Being a stepmother can be harder than being a
stepfather.



In typical remarriage chains today, children live with
mother and stepfather.
Typical stepmother must establish relationship during
visits.
Stepfathers compete with non-custodial fathers
who may not see children very often.



Often fill a vacuum left by departed biological father.
May hold to a lower standard than stepmothers.
Easier for children to accept two father figures than two
mother figures.
How can teachers help?
Maintain a structured environment
 Encourage expression of feelings

Open up areas for discussion…
 Help children release pent-up feelings


Encourage acceptance


Demonstrate respect for family uniqueness
Be aware of group reactions
Working with Parents
Reassure parents
 Keep requests light
 Be aware of legal agreements
 Know available community resources

Working with Parents of Children
with Special Needs
Individualized Educational Plans
 Develop relationships based on mutual
respect
 Try to understand the increased stress in
the lives of parents
 Be hopefully realistic
 Know available community resources

Working with Families when
Abuse Occurs

Indicators of abuse
Physical
 Sexual
 Emotional
 Neglect

Reporting abuse 1-800-252-5400
 Create an atmosphere of trust and
healing
 Refer families to support groups

Working with Adoptive Families
Include adoption in the curriculum
 Talking to families
 Talking to children
 Offer resources
