Psychological effects refer to mental and emotional disturbances that are common to most children whose parents become divorced. Extreme depression and bottled up anger that’s often temporary and released in future are the most obvious psychological effects of divorce on children, but there are others that are equally serious and need to be known before they can be dealt with adequately.
1. Feeling unloved
A man and a woman who loved their children will do everything they can to create a caring and loving atmosphere in which they will raise their children while always showering them with love. And this is the kind of atmosphere that’s never available in a house in which the parents are on the brink of divorce and will inevitably separate.
The quarrels and tensions that precede most divorces are enough to drive children sick and crazy. And when the parents finally divorce, the children will start feeling unloved—if the parents loved them they would have moved mountains and saved their marriage for the sake of their children, right?
This is the most basic psychological effect of divorce on children.
2. Feeling lost
Children also feel lost and struggle to find something to hang onto in life when their parents get divorced. They became lost and think nobody cares about them if their own parents can endanger their young minds and emotions in divorce courts.
This feeling sometimes makes the children angry and when they grow up, they may try to release their bottled up anger by indulging in destructive behaviors such as drug use, armed robbery and other social vices.
Children whose parents are divorced are more likely to grow up and become social misfits because they over lived in a healthy and socially stimulating atmosphere for a prolonged period of time.
3. Suicidal thoughts
This is the most harmful effect on the psychological make-up of children whose parents are divorced. Such children’s feel unloved, lost and become isolated; then they start thinking suicidal thoughts. Some may think that life’s no more worth living and commit suicide.
In some cases, children of divorced parents who want to take away their own lives may also harm or kill others.
4. Possible divorce in future
These children may also be psychologically-affected to the extent that they become introverts overtime and will prefer to be alone most at times. Most of them won’t make good partners in marriage and are more likely to follow their parents’ footmarks into divorce courts.
To conclude, it’s important to point out that while some children may not be affected by their parent’s divorce, most of them are likely to suffer a number of such psychological effects.
