Teenagers may tend to take on inappropriate responsibility for their parents' well-being. After a divorce, parental conflict over child care issues places children at particular risk for behavioural and emotional problems. Substance abuse by either parent may be a factor in parenting inadequacy. Parents play a key role in protecting and supporting their children in situations where there is a risk of, or actual physical, sexual or emotional abuse. The most important way to minimize emotional harm to children involved in a separation and divorce is to ensure that children maintain a close and secure relationship with both parents, unless there is spousal or child abuse or neglect, or parental substance abuse.
Physicians can help children and families by doing the following.
Because the underlying harmful effects of parental conflict begin long before the divorce, it is important to provide all families with anticipatory guidance about the effects of conflict on children and how to facilitate a child's emotional well-being. Physicians should incorporate into well child care inquiries about family functioning that might identify families at particular risk for conflict and children showing early signs of strain. Before a separation occurs, parents whose marriages are in difficulty should be made aware of community resources available for conflict resolution. Physicians should have a list of available community resources, which could include resources for substance abuse or anger management counselling, or psychiatric resources for the assessment of parental depression. Physicians should be cautious about making statements that appear to take the side of one parent.