Whenever two people interact, conflicts may arise and one person or both may want to end the relationship. This is true not only of marriage but other relationships as well. However, unlike most relationships, marriage involves civil, legal, and/or religious ties that specify if and how the relationship ends. Termination of the relationship in accord with these specifications is termed divorce and, according to Clarke-Stewart, Friedman and Koch (1990), there are well over one million divorces in America every year. Further, over 70 percent of these divorcing families have children.
Divorce is accompanied by a variety of psychoemotional and social effects on all family members. This paper examines a sampling of the current literature on the effects of divorce.
Furstenberg (1990) has compiled a comprehensive review of the existing literature on divorce in America. According to the author, this literature supports the notion that the disbanding of the family opens deep emotional wounds for the marital couple, the most major of which are: (1) feelings of emotional distress and isolation; (2) difficulties sleeping and/or eating; (3) altering of perceptions of self and role identity; and (4) financial difficulties and uncertainties.
In terms of the specific effects of divorce on children, Furstenberg (1990) reports that these can vary depending upon the ages of the child. For example, preschoolers may begin wetting the bed or stuttering. School-age children can develop fears such as being afraid to spend the night at a friend's house. Adolescents may withdraw or become over-engrossed with friends, school, or work. However, for children of any age, the disruption of the family can operate to intensify any pre-existing feelings of depression or abandonment.
Some authors have suggested that the effects of divorce on children can be sufficiently long-lasting that they produce psychosocial difficulties even in their adul...