Divorce and Children

Six-year-old Tiana made headlines this week as she asked her divorced mom and dad to treat each other as friends. In a video posted by her mom, which would go viral, Tiana said, “I don’t want you and my dad to be replaced and meanies again. I want you and my dad to be placed and settled and be friends.” This young girl’s plea to her parents exemplifies how impactful divorce can be on children.

Research has shown that, on average, children in divorced families receive less emotional support, have weaker relationships with their family, and have a weaker ability to handle conflicts, among many other negative repercussions. However, for those children who grow up in an intact-married family structure (raised by a mom and a dad), the benefits for the child are numerous. They are less likely to get into fights, less likely to have gotten drunk, less likely to have had intercourse at age 14 or younger, less likely to have had an unwed pregnancy, and almost four times less likely to have stolen from a store.

To read more about the effects of divorce on children, please read MARRI's synthesis paper on the topic.