During the 1990's, almost twenty million children, the vast majority of whom were under eight years of age, faced a life altering crisis: divorce. Divorce has a dramatic effect on children, their peers, their schools, and the social/legal fabric of our culture. Despite the increasing evidence that the effects of divorce on children can be devastating, society in general, and health care professionals in particular, have not mobilized adequate resources to help these children.
Unfortunately, children often have a tough ride through the divorce journey. Although more than 80% of divorced parents do remarry (which reintroduces a "second" parent back into their lives) step-children often struggle with problems created by this extended family set-up. Unfortunately as the divorce rate in second and third marriages is upwards of 60%, many of these children endure a second "loss".
The immediate future shows few signs that either the rate of divorce will decrease or the allocation of resources to support those in need will increase. We believe that all professionals whose decisions affect children can play a significant role in helping those caught in the web of divorce. The material in this web site is designed to help achieve that goal. STATISTICS TO THINK ABOUT ** 80 % of divorces occur in the first nine years of marriage.
** The National Child Study in the 1980's found that the majorityof children whose parents divorced were in elementary school or younger.
** National Children's Survey of the National Center for Health Statistics has shown that most second marriages dissolved by five years--again involved very young kids since average age for birth of first child is two years following marriage.
** Census Bureau projects that 70 % of white children and 90% of black children born in the 1980's will spend some time living in a single-parent household before their eighteenth birthday.
** Wallerstein cites that over a third of the children were initially thought to be doing well, but then by ten years were "functioning poorly with moderate to severe depression, acute unhappiness, poor learning, intense anger, sexual promiscuity, and delinquent behavior such as drug abuse, alcoholism, and stealing." "Only 25 % of the children felt they got any help from a family member and only 10% felt they got help from someone outside the family."
** Wallerstein reports that more than 50% saw at least one episode of violence after the divorce, having seen none before the divorce.
** Independent studies by Kalter, Clapp, & Ahrons all note that a substantial portion (38-64%) of the kids who were doing well initially had more serious problems as teenagers.
** Studies that look at parent behavior in the first years after divorce conclude that:
(1) Most divorced couples aren't capable of continuous, courteous communication, and that
(2) Most adults are absorbed in their involvement in creating a new lifestyle.
|
.gif)