The effects of a divorce on the cognitive and social development of Essay

The effects of a divorce on the cognitive and social development of adolescents - Essay Example Intact families may also be undergoing the same dysfunctional environment, as do the families to be divorced. A phenomenal rise in divorce rates in the developed countries during the 1960s and 1970s made nations tighten the divorce laws. Studies showed that children of divorced parents experienced more emotional and behavioral problems than children who live with both biological parents. It was a widely accepted perception that marital disruption makes adolescents more vulnerable to problems. This led to the formulation of a series of legal reforms and social policies to increase and enforce child support system. With the help of professional peer reviewed journals and online database, this paper will determine the effects of a divorce on the cognitive and social development of adolescents. Adolescents’ response to parental divorce has been focus of research for many sociologists and psychologists. These responses have significant effect on their behavioral patterns, social development, their moods, and anxieties. There is convincing evidence that children of divorce experience more psychological, social and academic difficulties than the peers from intact families. The old school of thought believed that parental divorce was an event which, affected children after the divorce had actually taken place. Recently, family researchers look at marital disruptions as a continuous process that occurs much before the marriage dissolves and may continue long after the divorce takes place (Sun, n.d.). Bogenschneider, Kaplan & Morgan (1993) quote from a review of 92 studies of divorce undertaken by Amato & Keith (1991) which involved 13000 children. According to the review, children of divorce experience lower levels of well-being than children from intact families across several domains. According to Researcher Sun at Ohio State