Indeed, no one would contest the conclusion that divorce is a source of complex and often enduring pain for children and adolescents. Children frequently lose access to one parent after a divorce. Usually it is the father whose role becomes increasingly marginalized. In a large majority of divorces, mothers are awarded custody of their children. Along with the emotional impact of absent fathers, there is the issue of diminished income.
Children are almost twice as likely to be living in poverty after divorce as before.
Certainly custodial mothers can be less available to their children, with a host of problems that leave them distracted and often depressed. There are stepparents, blended families, confused and conflicting allegiances that the already hurting child must try to negotiate, often with little good support or advice. And divorce rates are higher still in second marriages than in first marriages. And divorce can make it more difficult for children to move forward with confidence in their own integrity and the trustworthiness of others. Young children are especially vulnerable to the loss of security and consistency that is critical to their development of a solid sense of self.