Divorces increase school failure
Divorce is a different experience for parents and children: the family in which the children were born and grew up disappears suddenly and, despite the deficiencies that could have, for the children it was the one that gave them the support and security they needed . Now, a British study has pointed out the consequences of divorce in children, highlighting the increase in school failure.
Divorce increases school failure and the consumption of drugs and alcohol
This study, which has been carried out by the British organization Resolution, specializing in family conflicts, has conducted a survey of 500 children (young people aged 14 to 22) who lived through a divorce at home, concluding that "children can not function well if their emotional life is chaotic".
Specifically, and as more outstanding data, the results indicate that more than half (65%) of the young people who experienced a divorce in their childhood recognize that this made it harder for them to obtain a school graduate. In the same line, the data indicate that the 19 percent worsened their performance at school and 15 percent of young people were forced to change centers, breaking with their environment.
In addition, a good part of them (32%) was used in their parents' disputes as messengers, suffering the pressure of one and the other in the discussions. Faced with this situation of pressure, tension and carelessness on the part of the parents, eating disorders flourished, increasing the number of these among the children of divorcees. Likewise, a part of the respondents admitted that they had been pushed to consume alcohol (14%) and drugs (13%) in response to the stress they were subjected to.
Divorce in Spain in figures
This study, although carried out in the United Kingdom, also has great importance within Spain, where data referring to divorces have grown progressively. Specifically, in 2013, 95,427 divorces and 4,900 separations were signed in Spain, so that two divorces per 1,000 inhabitants are registered. The average age of women who divorce is 42 years and that of men, of almost 45, being in most cases (76%) the woman who receives custody of the children.
The consequences of divorce in children
One of the mistakes that parents make after a divorce is the alteration of the guidelines and norms established above. Thus, the permissive style and lack of supervision of the children by the parents may be due, in part, to the discrepancy in the educational guidelines between the parents after the break, and partly to the attempt to compensate (often materially) to the child because of the situation he is going through. This new way of acting on the part of the parents gives rise to a series of negative consequences in the children.
Thus, a study published by UNICEF indicates that the consequences can range from moderate to severe and from transitory to permanent, depending on:
1. Degree of prior conflict, and the involvement of children in the conflict.
2. Exercise or not of co-parenting
3. The effects of economic decline and lifestyle.
These consequences can be, among others:
- Lower academic performance
- Decreased self-esteem or the self-concept
- Social difficulties, emotional problems (fear, anxiety, depression)
- Behavior problems.
Normally, these problems usually occur during the divorce and end up exceeding after a few years when the situation stabilizes. However, in the long term, these children will grow up as adults with more difficulties to, for example, believe in the continuity of relationships or commit.
Patricia Núñez de Arenas
