Divorce – how it affects the children

Couples who are about to get divorced should know that their decision could have a negative impact on their child's long-term academic performance. The consequences of parental divorce may lead to higher school drop-out rates among children whose parents are getting a divorce, compared to their peers whose parents stay together. Such kids have just 40 to 50 per cent chance of completing high school education, to compare with children coming from stable families.

For the new study, the researchers analyzed the data registry of more than 9,400 kids who were born or adopted in 2-parent families in 1984 in Manitoba. All the kids then were tracked to 2004, until the age of 20, so the experts could find out what happened to them in their life. The study found that of those initial 9,403 children, 7,569 did not see a divorce in the family, 1,325 went through one parental divorce and 172 had lost one parent. Comparatively a small number -- 285 kids -- lived through two family transitions, divorce and remarriage, while 52 saw three transitions.

When all the data was finally analyzed, the experts found that 78.4 per cent of kids, who did not experience parental divorce or separation, completed successfully high school, well ahead of their peers with one change in the family household. There was not a significant difference between kids who experienced one divorce and those who had lost one of the parents. In both groups, about 60 per cent received high school diplomas. The biggest concern was for children in twice-divorced households.

The impact of Divorce or a split is worse on younger children than on older one may be because the younger children have fewer emotional skills to cope with the trauma. Or it could be that the earlier is a child when the first change in the family occurs, the more likely it is that his/her parents will go through more family changes.

However, although it is very important to work on a relationship for the sake of kids, there are situations where divorce can be a benefit to children. Very often people just say that they can do nothing more to save the marriage and there are some long-term consequences to those decisions that couples always should keep in mind.


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