Children take the idyllic family image with father and mother together for granted. When the parents no longer get along and decide to divorce, a world collapses for the children. They cannot yet grasp the complexity of the situation of a marriage and expect the parents to get back together. What are the negative effects that a divorce can have on the children?

Self-esteem

When children observe the disintegration of the family, they tend to blame themselves. They get feelings of guilt and feel inferior as a result. Children with a poor self-image will have problems in many situations in life.

Education and training

It is often the school performance that manifests the inner turmoil. To make matters worse, the parents have to deal with the divorce and the changed life situation and have less time to help the children with their homework. This quickly turns into a vicious circle, because the worse their performance at school, the more their self-esteem suffers.

Financial situation

Divorce is expensive and life afterwards is usually more difficult financially than before. The children, who were used to a certain standard of living, suddenly have to cut back. This means a lot of stress for the children and the single parent.

Impact in adult life

The scars left behind by a parental divorce stay with children for the rest of their lives. It is not uncommon for them to be afraid of a strong bond as adults because they are trying to protect themselves from the same situation.

In adolescence, children of divorced parents are more likely to abuse drugs because they seek an escape from stress and feelings of guilt in drugs and the society associated with them.