The psychological effects on children of divorce can be devastating and many divorcing couples are completely oblivious to how their private “War of the Roses” has lasting effects on their children. It is said: “Children are always the losers in divorce.” Unfortunately, parents do not think about the consequences of how they treat their soon to be ex-spouse and how they continue to malign them in front of their children who often feel loyalty to both parents. These children or adolescents are often manipulated by their parents for personal, social or financial reasons.
The stress that this causes the children can lead to anxiety, depression, substance abuse, delinquent behavior and teen pregnancy by the girls. Sometimes, the children even make suicide attempts. It has been noted by Clinicians and Therapists that the children caught in the middle of the parents’ animosity during separation or divorce proceedings have attention and concentration problems; academic problems; anger problems and sleep disorders. Some even have bedwetting and bowel problems. Therefore, it behooves the parents to find ways to mediate and minimize the destructive effects on their children. Working with mediators getting the entire family into family therapy; getting the divorcing couple to go to couples therapy to do “un-coupling” therapy and/or sending the children or adolescents for individual therapy are all great ways to assure good mental and physical health for the children. Sometimes, medication or alternative medicine could also benefit the children of divorce