Children and Divorce

Divorce can be a wrenching experience for children. New studies suggest the painful effects of their parents' breakup can stay with children for years. Many will not do well in school or jobs, and some will fail in their own marriages later on. The studies have intensified the debate over the “no-fault divorce” laws that made it easier for couples to dissolve their marriages. Some experts say the new findings on the effects of divorce on children are exaggerated, and no one expects a substantial movement away from liberalized divorce laws. But some therapists are urging couples in distress to try harder to resolve their problems rather than get a divorce. And there is broad agreement that children of divorce need greater support—financial, social and psychological—to avoid becoming innocent victims of their parents' breakup.