Effects of Divorce on Children: Research and Key Findings

Introduction

Divorce has always been a topic of great interest to those studying psychology, as counseling couples who have or are considering divorcing is a large part of the psychologist's work. However, few subjects are of more interest to the psychologist studying divorce than the effects of divorce on children. For quite some time, this topic has produced mixed results among researchers. Traditionally, popular opinion has cited divorce as having negative effects on children, impairing their relationship with one or more parents. However, another viewpoint argues that divorcing parents are not nearly as harmful to children as parents who stay together but constantly engage in conflict in front of their children. Amato (2000) argues that the increase in divorce is one of the most far-reaching and potent changes in recent family life. This paper seeks to define the exact nature of the effects of divorce on children, while also examining whether certain situations worsen or lessen those effects.

Ahrons, C. R., & Tenner, J. L. (2003). Adult children and their fathers: Relationship changes 20 years after parental divorce. Family Relations, 52(4), 340–351.

Long-Term Relationships Between Children and Nonresident Fathers

This article closely examines one important factor of divorce and is of great significance to the discussion of divorce's effects on children. The authors argue that much of the literature indicates that relationships between children of divorced parents and their nonresident fathers worsen after divorce. In addition, the authors assert that current research suggests a continued relationship with the father is generally in the child's best interest, although this conclusion is void if the father is abusive or incompetent. Ahrons and Tenner (2003) note that research does not generally address how adult children feel about their relationships with their fathers. By studying adult children twenty years after their parents divorced, the researchers found that most children reported that their relationships with their fathers had either improved or remained the same after the divorce.

The authors' institutional affiliation with a major university lends credibility to this work, and their familiarity with divorce studies is clearly extensive. This is perhaps one of the most interesting studies covered here. By presenting research on how adult children of divorce feel toward their fathers, the article offers insight into the long-term effects of divorce on parent-child relationships.

Amato, P. R. (2000). The consequences of divorce for adults and children. Journal of Marriage and Family, 62(4), 1269–1287.

Broad Consequences of Divorce for Adults and Children

In this study, Amato (2000) reviews the research on divorce conducted in the early 1990s, attempting to determine what effects divorce has for both adults and children. Describing the rising divorce rate as one of the most "dramatic" and "far-reaching in its implications" trends of the twentieth century, Amato suggests that divorce has the potential to create sustained periods of turmoil and trauma in a person's life. Because approximately half of marriages today end in divorce and nearly all adults have been married at least twice, Amato (2000) points out that divorce "has major implications for the settings in which children are nurtured and socialized" (p. 1269). He further notes that just over half of all marriages in the United States involve children under the age of 18. With so many children experiencing parental divorce, Amato (2000) makes a compelling case for the significant role divorce plays in the lives of many modern children.

Amato (2000) concludes, however, that the effects of divorce for both adults and children are widely varied. Although studies from the early 1990s showed that children with divorced parents had a harder time adjusting academically, socially, and in other areas, these results could reflect factors other than divorce itself. Some studies also found that divorce was beneficial to children in a minority of cases (Amato, 2000). Amato further identifies two prevailing viewpoints in the literature: that divorce is a temporary setback children can overcome relatively quickly, and that divorce causes increasing and ongoing trauma.

A scholar affiliated with Pennsylvania State University, Amato has published numerous articles on divorce, marriage, and family. By synthesizing the available research and presenting multiple viewpoints, this article provides an excellent overview of the field and the values-driven complexities that make definitive answers difficult. Because this study surveys earlier work, it is particularly valuable for situating the research question within its scholarly context.

Furstenberg, F. F., & Kiernan, K. E. (2001). Delayed parental divorce: How much do children benefit? Journal of Marriage and Family, 63(2), 446–457.

Conclusion

Leon's (2003) article offers an impressive synthesis of research drawing on some of the most prominent scholars in the field, including Amato. The connection between Amato's research and Leon's (2003) findings reinforces the credibility of both bodies of work. Together, the sources reviewed in this paper address several dimensions of divorce's effects on children: long-term father-child relationships, the broad consequences of divorce across age groups, the role of delayed divorce and selection factors, the interplay of risk and protective factors, and the unique vulnerabilities of young children. Taken as a whole, this literature underscores that the effects of divorce on children are neither uniform nor inevitable, and that factors such as parenting quality, parental conflict, and the child's developmental stage play crucial roles in shaping outcomes. These findings carry important implications for professional intervention by psychologists and other practitioners working with families navigating divorce.