Running head: Age and divorce
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Age and divorce
Divorce is traumatic experience for the married couples but more especially children due
to the loss of the family bond, togetherness and the disruption. It entails separation and canceling
the legality of the marriage over irreconcilable differences of the married couples. It is a normal
phase of life that can have a great direct impact on the psychological development of a child. The
experience of divorce’s impact of the child varies depending on their age, that of the parents as
well as the timing of divorce.
The age of the child at the point of their parent’s divorce directly affects the response to
the separation and structure there afterwards. It is down to the understanding of the changes in the
family structure, interaction and limitations therein. When delivering the news of divorce, it elicits
anxiety, rejection, anger, depression, sadness and even confusion as the children grasp to
understand the impact of changes on their lives (Şenay, 2018). The experience can be detrimental
depending on what the child witnessed that led to the divorce. This goes a long way in shaping the
life of the child in positive or negative way.
Children have different desires and needs from family and parents at the different stages of
their development and therefore divorce affects those stages differently. Infants and pre-school
children might suffer from anxiety, feel insecure, fussy and regressing in development. These kids
are used with routine but once that is broken it triggers negative psychological impact. School
going children might experience withdrawal, depression and stress (LCSW, 2021). They are at a
stage of realizing and comprehending things and news of divorce pushes them to self-denial and
self-blame as route cause of divorce. The emerging adults experience low self-esteem and reduced
enthusiasm due to the financial and social development. On the other hand, adult children find
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Age and divorce
themselves at cross-roads when exposed to the idea of choosing sides with their parents (Legg,
2020).
The age of a parents is linked to the skills of handling the divorce process in the presence
of children. The consequences of life exposed to children relate to the age at which one gets
divorced. Parents who separate at a young age lack social skills of helping the kids to cope with
family disruption and separation (Şenay, 2018). Parents need to have good communication,
cooperation and coordination of activities. Older parents maintain a healthy relationship in coparenting, communicating with respect and staying focused for the better future of their children
(LCSW, 2021).
Children can suffer greatly if they are not properly handled during the divorce period.
Apparently, the age of the child as well as that of the parent determines the impact and extent of
psychological disturbance brought up by divorce. Divorce cannot be timed for the best moment of
preparedness and therefore, more often than not the children end up facing the psychological
burden of the its eventuality.
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Age and divorce
Reference
1. Ensign, A. (2020, November 12). Nick Vujicic at RootsTech Connect 2021. Retrieved from
https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/nick-vujicic-rootstech-2021/
2. LCSW, A. (2021, February 22). The Psychological Effects of Divorce on Children.
Retrieved from https://www.verywellfamily.com/psychological-effects-of-divorce-onkids-4140170
3. Şenay, C. (2018). Contemporary Perspective on Child Psychology and Education.
4. Legg, T. (2020, November). What’s the Hardest Age for Children to See Their Parents
Split? Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/childrens-health/worst-age-fordivorce-for-children