Effects of Divorce on Children

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The Effects of Divorce on Children Divorce is a word that many Americans have unfortunately become familiar with. Divorce not only affects the husband and wife, but also has a great impact on the lives of children as well. Children are affected by divorce in a variety of ways including their depression levels, self esteem, anxiety and their overall behavior after the divorce. This paper will discuss all of these affects, mainly concentrating on the child’s depression after the divorce. This study is essential because so many children are affected and they are the future of the United States and the world. If one was to take a look at the statistics, they would see that divorce does have an effect on many people. Though somewhat disputed, it is generally believed that the divorce rate in the United States hovers around fifty percent. (Amato, 2000.) The current estimated divorce rate is forty five percent of all marriages. (Simmons, 1996.) The majority of couples divorcing in the 1990s have had a child between the age of six or below. (Maccoby and Mnookin, 1992.) Forty percent of the children in this country will experience parental divorce. (Amato, 2000.) In 1996 alone, there were about 1,150,000 divorces and annulments in the United States which involved over one million children. (National Health Center for Statistics, 1997.) This is a large percentage of the population of our future in the United States who are dealing with their parent’s divorce. Throughout this study, this research will examine some of the affects that children carry with them after their parents’ divorce. First, the paper will discuss the children’s behavior, mainly depression and the way the child/children were affected by their parents’ disunion. Secondly, the report will look into studies conducted on the children now as they are in their
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