In our previous post, we mentioned a new study done at the University of Wisconsin, Madison which showed that children whose parents divorce may experience more difficulty with mathematics, social skills and dealing with emotions for at least two years after the divorce.

The study suggests that the conflict during and after divorce is tougher on children than the pre-divorce conflict. Things like custody battles, one parent leaving the household, and making children regularly switch households are all part of the struggle for children.

According to Kim, the researched showed that it isn't always the case that divorces are fraught with marital conflict, so divorce didn't always cause a child to suffer in the standard ways. On the other hand, children whose parents are not divorced but are unhappy often suffer the same as those from divorced home. The key, then seems to be the conflict and destabilization the child faces at home as a result of the parent's problems.

Another limitation of the study was that the sample size really wasn't large enough to sort the effects of divorce by age, gender, or ethnicity. A previous study from 1989 showed that children struggled more when their parents divorced in the first five years of their life.

Sources said the researcher who conducted the study has plans to replicate the study with different groups of children, allowing a better assessment of the nuances of how divorce affects children.

On this blog, we never try to scare anybody about divorce. Our goal is to inform you, as much as possible, of various aspects concerning the divorce process and other related issues.

Source: Fox News, "Divorce Plagues Kids' Social, Academic Lives for Years," 2 Jun 2011.