Marital problems lead to a number of behavioral problems in children. A new study showed that separation or divorce of parents affects children from high-end families more.
At any given age, children feel uncertain or angry about their parents splitting up. It is up to the parents to make it less painful for the children.
The researchers of the current study noted that the age of the children at the time of the divorce also has a bearing over their likelihood of having behavior problems.
For the study, the researchers examined a national sample of nearly 4,000 children aged between 3 and 12. They were divided into three groups - those in families living under 200 percent of the federal poverty line, those living between 200 percent and 300 percent of the federal poverty line, and those living above 300 percent of the federal poverty line around the time of the child's birth.
The research team also analyzed the impact of parental separation and remarriage or re-partnering in children five years or younger and those aged between six and 12.
The observations of the research stated that behavioral problems increased only if the children were aged 5 or younger during the time of separation. Whereas, moving into a stepparent family improved behavior only when it happened after children turned six. The findings revealed that children who moved from a single-parent family into a step-parent family seemed to improve. This was seen majorly in higher-income families. However, such was not the case with lower-income families.
"Our findings suggest that family changes affect children's behavior in higher-income families more than children's behavior in lower-income families-for better and for worse," said lead researcher Rebecca M. Ryan, an assistant professor of psychology at Georgetown University.
"These findings suggest that both economic context and children's age are important to consider in understanding the effects of family structure on children," said Ryan. "While economic resources in many ways buffer children, higher initial family income doesn't appear to be a protective factor when parents separate, at least for younger children."
KidsHealth.com has some suggestions for parents to help their children cope with the divorce:
- Breaking the news about separation or divorce should be made after taking the children's age, maturity, and temperament into consideration. Children generally feel they are responsible for the separation or divorce. It is the duty of parents to make sure they don't feel so.
- Some children react in a negative way after hearing the news of their parents' breakup. On the other hand, there are children who try to please their parents by acting as if everything is fine. Children want to know how the separation is going to affect their everyday lives.
- Parents should teach their children honesty and also make them learn to express their feeling through words. A parent should be able to able offer support to the child.
The findings of the current study are published in the journal Child Development.
