It’s no secret that many students on campus dream of marriage and starting a family — a beautiful and worthy goal to have. But within that commitment, young couples must consider the realities that come with building a stable home. There can be significant emotional and psychological damage in children’s lives when a parent is not active in the family’s life or worse, removed from a divorce.
Divorce rates have been skyrocketing around the country, bringing alarming consequences as children process their parents’ broken marriage.
World Psychiatry studied the mental impacts on childhood development when growing up in a split household — finding that “only 60% of U.S. children live with their married, biological parents.”
“Research has documented that parental divorce/separation is associated with an increased risk for child and adolescent adjustment problems, including academic difficulties (e.g., lower grades and school dropout), disruptive behaviors (e.g., conduct and substance use problems), and depressed mood,” according to World Psychiatry.
Psychology Today analyzed this further, emphasizing the detrimental consequences on a child’s development if one parent is absent.
“Children from families in which the parents had divorced had statistically lower overall scores for the Human Capability Index,” the article said. “They were also statistically less likely to be developmentally on track than children whose parents were still married.”
Furthermore, children will naturally learn from the actions of their parents. These behaviors — both good or bad — can shape a child’s view of relationships, commitment and handling conflict. Their expectations of a future relationship can become distorted when they witness a divorce, especially ones involving infidelity, abuse or addiction. In some cases, young minds are impressed on, subconsciously replicating the actions of their parents — or they might believe that behavior is a normal part of marriage, leading to more hurt later in their lives.
“Offspring of divorced/separated parents are also more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior, live in poverty, and experience their own family instability,” according to World Psychiatry. “Risk typically increases by a factor between 1.5 and 2.”
Bad habits are hard to break, and the effects of generational trauma follow us. The fallen world pushes people toward evil desires, and once sin is born, it grows into death (James 1:14-17). This death often affects more than just ourselves.
Many of my friends have grown up in divorced homes, and I can see the detriment caused by their broken homes. That pain never goes away, and most of them live in rotation between their mom and dad.
The only remedy for this worldwide issue is the bonding power of Jesus Christ. When marriages remain true to biblical principles, the potential for divorce goes down.
It is like a triangle, with both partners at the bottom corners and Christ at the top. The closer the couple gets to Christ, the closer they will grow together. Failing to put Christ first allows one to fall into sinful acts more easily.
Marriage is a good thing, and cutting down marriage rates is not the answer to solving the problem of separated households. Even if you are not married or do not have aspirations of having a family, understanding the detrimental effects of divorce can help you empathize with those who are struggling with a broken household. I believe a Christ-first marriage and proactively healthy marital and parenting relationships within the household can give children a better environment to grow and develop in.
Warden is the opinion editor for the Liberty Champion.