When you work your way through a New Jersey divorce, you may find it difficult to think about anyone’s emotions aside from your own. Divorce has the potential to have a substantial impact on your emotional health and well-being, but the same holds true when it comes to those of your children.
Per Psychology Today, more than half of all American marriages now end in divorce. Because it has become so common, many people neglect to recognize how traumatic it may be for any children involved.
How divorce impacts children
Studies suggest that children become more prone to anxiety and depression when their parents divorce. Children whose parents divorce also become statistically more likely to struggle in academic environments or engage in alcohol or drug abuse. Children of divorce are also more prone to mental and physical health problems than their peers whose parents remain in happy marriages.
How to minimize how much your divorce impacts your children
It is often difficult for kids to adjust to living in two homes after their parents split. If your family is adjusting to a new co-parenting schedule, try your hardest to make sure your kids feel equally at home in both homes. Consider, too, trying to make your divorce as amicable as possible. Make an effort, also, not to disparage your child’s other parent in front of him or her, as a child who feels as if he or she must choose between parents may experience even more trauma from a divorce.
Many children whose parents divorce go on to become happy, well-adjusted adults. The steps you take while your divorce is ongoing may help increase the chances of this happening.
