• 03
  • June
    2011

Perhaps the most pressing concern for couples going through a divorce is their children. Specifically, parents often worry about spending less time with their children and the impact that divorce proceedings will ultimately have on their physical and mental wellbeing.

Unfortunately, a new study by Hyun Sik Kim, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin reveals that children of divorce often perform worse academically, fall behind their peers in terms of social skills, and sometimes suffer from bouts of anxiety or low self-esteem.

Kim's study, published in the latest issue of the American Sociological Review, monitored the progress of 3,585 students from kindergarten through the fifth grade, tracking their progress before, during and after divorce proceedings and comparing them with students from non-divorced families.

Surprisingly, he discovered that developmental problems among the children persisted even after the divorce was completed.

"This study reveals that these negative impacts do not worsen in the post-divorce stage, although there is no sign that children of divorce catch up with their counterparts, either," wrote Kim.

In terms of the impact of divorce on academics, Kim determined that performance in mathematics was the most adversely affected by divorce proceedings.

"Reading is not that cumulative. But with math, you must understand previous things to develop. For example, if I do not understand that one plus one is two, then I cannot understand multiplication."

Overall, Kim indentified the following factors as reasons for the academic and emotional problems often experienced by children of divorce:

  • The stress of living in a combative and potentially depressing environment
  • The constant shifting between two households/lack of a real foundation
  • The feelings of guilt over having to divide time between parents
  • The economic instability sometimes precipitated by divorce

Stay tuned for more from our Denver divorce blog ...

If you would like to learn more about dissolution of marriage, child custody or any other divorce-related matter, you should strongly consider speaking with an experienced legal professional.

This post is provided for informational purposes only and is not to be construed as legal advice.

Related Resources:

Children of divorce score worse in math, social skills (Reuters)