Texans who are divorcing can often be distracted by the issues they are dealing with and forget about the short and long-term effects that the process can have on their children. This is separate from child support. Studies frequently examine these factors and try to assess the aftermath of a divorce. One study found that if children have parents whose divorce results in animosity between them, the children are more prone to catch colds during childhood.
The divorce itself is not seen as the problem. It is the way the parents interact with one another after it has taken place. If there are children from the marriage, it is unavoidable that the parents will need to communicate. Lingering disputes from the marriage tend to spill over and this might affect the children. In the study, 201 adults were split in three groups. This included people whose parents stayed together when they were children, people whose parents were separated or divorced and stayed on speaking terms while they were children, and parents who divorced, had an adversarial relationship and did not speak. The people whose parents were among the last group were more vulnerable to colds than those whose parents stayed together in their childhood.
Psychological issues due to the divorce and the parents’ relationship could harm the child’s immune system and result in more colds when they become adults. Parents who have divorced and do not speak might indicate disputes and accumulate to damage the child’s health. Parents who remained in communication after the divorce were found not to have a rise in the frequency of colds. This could be due to the parents showing the ability to make certain the child’s needs are protected. It could not be determined if adults who lived through their parents divorcing would have been less prone to colds if the parents had remained together. The researchers suggest more information is needed to get a better gauge on the matter.
People who are confronted with a dispute in their marriage with the union heading for a divorcemust, of course, be cognizant of the family law issues in the case. But they must also make certain that they have a grasp on how the process will affect their children. Man times, parents will allow their marital problems to fester until their relationship cannot be amicable when the divorce moves forward. To avoid this and to handle the situation, it is wise to speak to a legal professional experienced in all aspects of divorce.
Source: Newsweek, “Divorce Effects: Kids Whose Parents Have Bitter Relationships More Likely To Be Sickly Adults, Study Finds,” Janice Williams, June 6, 2017