A great deal of study and thought has been given to knowing more about the impact of divorce on children. While there is growing agreement among researchers and practitioners about the effects of divorce, there is still a lot we don't know. We have not reached a point that we can be specific about the impact of divorce on a specific child. What we do know is that the impact will vary with each child depending the child's age, gender, maturity, psychological health and whether or not other supportive adults are able to be a regular part of their lives. However, there are some generalizations that apply in nearly every situation.
Divorce can be the right decision and can be handled responsibly.
Divorce itself does not have a positive impact on a child's life and development. Girls tend to handle divorce better and have fewer serious problems than boys. Divorce is a failure of a couple's commitment to their marital and family roles. This includes parental responsibilities to their children's psychological and emotional development. Divorce has it's most negative impact when one or both parents abandon responsibility for their child's social and emotional development.