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The effects of divorce on children: a bibliographic essayKeriOttawa UniversityAbstractThis bibliographic essay explains different sources that would be useful to research the effects of divorce on children. The sources are divided into four groups. The first set of sources discusses the negative effects of divorce on young (infant to adolescent) children. The next set discusses how divorce affects the adult years of the child’s life. Another group of sources recognizes that negative effects on children can occur before the divorce itself takes place. And finally, there are some sources whose target audience is the parents going through the divorce. These articles include to-the-point explanations for why children react the way they do to a divorce, and they give advice for these parents on how to handle these reactions.IntroductionIn past years, divorce rates have risen dramatically. The couple involved in the divorce receives all the attention, ranging from movies to media to counseling. However, the children of these couples are often forgot about when contemplating the negative consequences of a divorce. The sources in this bibliographic essay attempt to explain everything dealing with how children react to their parents getting a divorce. The target audience of these articles is, in general, anyone who is interested in how children react and why they react that way. More specifically, the audience could be psychologists, other researchers, parents, or the adult children themselves, wanting to learn how their parents’ divorce affected them. The sources for this research are divided into the following categories: the effects of divorce on infants to adolescents, the long-term effects of divorce on children as displayed in adult children, the effects of pre-divorce on children, and sources that are directly targeted toward parents getting the divorce. With this research, parents can understand why their children react negatively to divorce, as well as help their children avoid reacting negatively to divorce.Effects of Divorce on Young ChildrenThe book Divorce: Causes and Consequences (Clarke-Stewart, 2006) discusses all aspects of divorce, and there is one chapter dedicated to the effects of divorce on children. Psychological and physical effects of are discussed in this chapter, as well as more subtle consequences. The author talks about different age groups (infants, preschool children, school-age children, adolescents) and how they react differently, as well as how they typically feel in that situation. There are numerous sources used in the writing of this book, and the author takes into consideration all of the studies out there that explain children’s reactions to divorce. Real life examples are given throughout this book. There are no biases or unsupported claims since all the information is supported with references and real life examples. This adds to the credibility of the book.“The impact of child parent relationship therapy on child behavior and parent-child relationships: An examination of parental divorce” (Dillman, 2011) is an article that discusses how Child Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT) affects child behavior and the relationship between the parent and child. However, before the authors go into depth about this topic, they specify some effects that divorce can have on children, including rule breaking and delinquency. These effects must be understood before a therapist can help the child and parent through the problem. This article is approved by the American Psychological Association, and there are numerous references sited that were used in the writing of the article. Psychologists are always finding new ways to counsel people, and this article allows for more research on that topic to be done.Another article that describes negative effects of divorce on young children is “Childhood problem behavior and parental divorce: Evidence for gene-environment interaction” (Robbers, 2012). It describes a study that was done to find out if the environment and genetics affect children of divorced parents differently than children of married parents. It was established through this study that environmental influences affect children of divorced parents more than genetics do. Children of divorced parents have different reactions to the divorce, but through this study, it was determined that the main cause of the different reactions is because of what they are surrounded by. The authors are highly educated in this field. The article was written in 2012, so the information is current, therefore more credible.“Relations of parenting quality, interparental conflict, and overnights with mental health problems of children divorcing families with high legal conflict” (Sandier, 2013) is about a study conducted to determine how mental health problems come about in children whose parents get divorced. They found that instead of these problems being caused by the conflict between the parents, they come from the quality of parenting and how often the child is with one parent or the other. The solution to mental health problems would be that the child gets to spend adequate amount of time with a parent who provides high-quality parenting. There are charts that go along with this article that explain the information given and provide a visual. Since this article was written in 2013, credibility is reinforced because the information is current.An article titled “Development of a brief parent-report risk index for children following parental divorce“ (Tein, 2013) discusses three different studies that were done to determine how children who have gone through parental divorce are at risk. The first study uses parent reports of their children’s behavior. The second study uses data from post-divorce risks, and the third study combines the first two studies’ data. There are charts that explain the information in the article, and there is a sample survey graphic presented as well. The article was written in 2013, which adds to its credibility.The scholarly article “Mothers and their children after divorce: Report from a 25-year longitudinal study” (Wallerstein, 2013) is about a study that was done over the span of 25 years about mother-child relationships post-divorce. The study found that after a divorce, mothers usually attempt to rebuild relationships with others, then somewhat neglecting their children. The children that fell victim to this were then negatively affected and tended to commit more rebellious acts. A specific cause and effect relationship between a mother’s actions post-divorce and child’s reaction post-divorce is explained. The authors are highly educated on this topic, and they used multiple references in their writing. This article was written in 2013, and it has been in development for 25 years, so the information is even more credible.“Relations of parenting quality, interparental conflict, and overnights with mental health problems of children divorcing families with high legal conflict” (Sandier, 2013) is perhaps the most credible and relatable source to this research topic. It was written just a year ago by well-educated authors. This article also has the most specific information toward the effects of divorce on children. The other sources that discuss the effects of divorce on young children also have other purposes for the writing.Long-term Effects on ChildrenThe book Adult Children of Divorce: Confused Love Seekers (Piorkowski, 2008) is about how children of divorced parents are affected in the long run. “Love” is a central concept that is discussed throughout the book. Children’s ideas of love change as a result of seeing their parents get divorced, and that is thoroughly described in this book, specifically for adult children (children who experienced the divorce at a young age and are now adults living on their own). The information in this book is unique because it considers how children of divorced parents are affected outside of their personal experiences in the home.“Parental divorce among young and adult children: A long-term quantitative analysis of mental health and family solidarity” (Uphold-Carrier, 2012) is an article that discusses the long-term effects of divorce on children. A central idea in the article is when the divorce occurs in the lifetime of the child (when they are young spanning to when they are adults). Bulleted lists and charts help explain the information in the article. It was written in 2012, which adds to its credibility.Adult Children of Divorce: Confused Love Seekers (Piorkowski, 2008) is likely the best source to explain the long-term effects of divorce on children. Since the entire book is about adult children of divorce, the information is analyzed and explained thoroughly. This book is not as recent as the article is, but the information is still logical and backed up with other sources.Pre-divorce EffectsIt has been established that children are affected, not only by the divorce and changes afterward, but by the conflict before the divorce takes place. The article “Consequences of parental divorce for child development” (Kim, 2011) discusses how children are developmentally set back when their parents get divorced. The author describes effects of divorce on children before, during, and after the divorce occurs. It is also mentioned that there may be some factors not taken into account in previous studies, such as the imbalanced amount of children studied with divorced parents compared to children with married parents. There are multiple charts used to explain the information in the article, as well as provide visuals. The press does not play a role in this area of study since the author is only concerned with past and present studies, so that adds to the credibility of the article.Another article, “Parental divorce and child mental health: Accounting for predisruption differences” (Strohschein, 2012), discusses negative effects of the pre-divorce period. This article was written about a survey done of children whose parents were divorced and children whose parents weren’t divorced yet, but were on their way to be. The results showed that children living in a hostile environment have greater mental problems than children whose parents were already divorced. The purpose of this article is to prove that negative effects are caused by divorce before the divorce even happens. This article is peer-reviewed, recent, and written by an author who has a PhD in sociology and works in the department of sociology at a university. Since this is recent research, there haven’t been many studies on this specific topic, but this article opens a door for further research.“Parental divorce and child mental health: Accounting for predisruption differences” (Strohschein, 2012) is the best article to research how the pre-divorce period affects children. The study specifically researches these children, as well as children of parents who are already divorced, in order to compare results and explain how children are affected by the conflicts present before the divorce takes place.Parents as Target AudienceSome sources, especially online articles, are written to specifically help parents help their children cope with the divorce. As a result of this, the information provided is to the point, and part of it is focused on giving advice to these parents. In the first article, “The effects of divorce on children” (DeBord, n.d.), the author makes sure the reader understands what variables there are to children’s reactions to divorce. The next heading is “What causes stress for children?” where there are different stressors, such as fear of abandonment and hostility between parents, are contemplated and explained. The article also gives advice for parents who are going through the divorce, in order to help their children cope with it. Although there is no publication date present, this is a fairly credible source because the author has a PhD in this area, and there are references sited at the end of the article, showing that it wasn’t just the author’s ideas being written about.Another article that is targeted toward parents is “The effect of divorce on children: What makes a difference” (Karuppaswamy, 2013). It discusses the effects of divorce on children based on different variables. Some of these include sex of the children, their age and development, and their level of social support. There is some advice in the article for parents who are going through the divorce. The author of this article has a PhD in this subject area, so she is very knowledgeable about how divorce affects different groups of people. This article was written in 2013, so the information is up to date, hence more credible.“The effects of divorce on children” (DeBord, n.d.) provides the most complete information when it comes to giving advice to parents on how to help their children cope with a divorce. However, “The effect of divorce on children: What makes a difference” (Karuppaswamy, 2013) is a more credible source because the author has a PhD in this subject area, and the publication date is current.ConclusionIn conclusion, these sources provide extensive information for how children of all ages react to the divorce of their parents. This includes their reaction before, during, and after the divorce takes place. Each of these sources is reliable and scientific in its explanation. By studying these effects, children may be aided in coping with the divorce, and parents can understand why their children react the way they do. ReferencesClarke-Stewart, A., & Brentano, C. (2006). Divorce: Causes and consequences. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.DeBord, K. (n.d.). The effects of divorce on children. Retrieved March 23, 2014, from Dillman Taylor, D., Purswell, K., Lindo, N., Jayne, K., & Fernando, D. (2011). The impact of child parent relationship therapy on child behavior and parent-child relationships: An examination of parental divorce. International Journal Of Play Therapy, 20(3), 124-137. doi:10.1037/a0024469Karuppaswamy, N., & Myers-Walls, J. A. (2013). The effect of divorce on children: What makes a difference. Retrieved March 31, 2014, from Provider-Parent Partnerships website: , H. (2011). Consequences of parental divorce for child development. American Sociological Review, 76(3), 487-511. doi:10.1177/0003122411407748Piorkowski, G. K. (2008). Adult children of divorce: Confused love seekers. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.Robbers, S., Oort, F., Huizink, A., Verhulst, F., Beijsterveldt, C., Boomsma, D., & Bartels, M. (2012). Childhood problem behavior and parental divorce: Evidence for gene-environment interaction. Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology, 47(10), 1539-1548. doi:10.1007/s00127-011-0470-9Sandier, I. N., Braver, S. L., & Wheeler, L. A. (2013). Relations of parenting quality, interparental conflict, and overnights with mental health problems of children divorcing families with high legal conflict. Journal Of Family Psychology, 27(6), 915-924. doi:10.1037/a0034449Strohschein, L. (2012). Parental divorce and child mental health: Accounting for predisruption differences. Journal Of Divorce & Remarriage, 53(6), 489-502. doi:10.1080/10502556.2012.682903Tein, J., Sandler, I. N., Braver, S. L., & Wolchik, S. A. (2013). Development of a brief parent-report risk index for children following parental divorce. Journal Of Family Psychology, 27(6), 925-936. doi:10.1037/a0034571Uphold-Carrier, H., & Utz, R. (2012). Parental divorce among young and adult children: A long-term quantitative analysis of mental health and family solidarity. Journal Of Divorce & Remarriage, 53(4), 247-266. doi:10.1080/10502556.2012.663272Wallerstein, J., Lewis, J., & Packer Rosenthal, S. (2013). Mothers and their children after divorce: Report from a 25-year longitudinal study. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 30(2), 167-184. doi:10.1037/a0032511 ................
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