Psychologists have researched the effects of divorce upon children’s mental health, and found that there are many negative results. Some of these may not appear until later in adulthood. It can therefore be thoroughly justified that divorce is harmful to children’s moral well-being and behaviour.
Children experience extensive loss and unexpected change after the divorce of their parents. The majority of the effects of divorce are unpleasant since children are deprived of a formerly familiar environment and status in the community. According to Nancy Dreger, “In children, divorce can generate personal fears unrelated to their parents or the security of the environment: concern about how friends will react to the news, fear of being embarrassed” (LIRN). The Journal of Youth and Adolescence states that divorce does not damage a child’s existence as, “being exposed to conflict within the family in the form of arguments and violence is positively related to feelings of anger and depressed mood among adolescents” (LIRN). This argument is flawed because the effects of divorce also inflict tremendous psychological damage upon a child.
