Effects Of Parental Divorce On Adolescents

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Effects Of Parental Divorce On Adolescents

• How Parental Divorce Can Cause
• Depression and Anxiety

By, Kevin
Spence
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Depression

• According to the National Institute of Mental
  Health (NIMH), a depressive disorder is an
  illness that involves the body, mood, and
  thoughts. It affects the way a person eats and
  sleeps, the way one feels about oneself, and the
  way one thinks about things. Also, the NIMH
  believes that an un-welcomed stress or a change
  in life patterns, such as stresses at home
  (parental divorce), can trigger a depressive
  episode.

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Anxiety

• According to the NIMH, an Anxiety disorder is
  defined as an illness that fills a persons life
  with overwhelming anxiety and fear that is
  chronic, unremitting, and can grow progressively
  worse. Anxiety can cause a person to be tormented
  by panic attacks, obsessive thoughts, flashbacks
  of traumatic events, nightmares, or countless
  frightening physical symptoms. Anxiety
  disorders are generally accompanied by and
  related to depressive disorders. This may be why
  Anxiety attacks can occur as a result of a
  parental divorce.

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Quick Overview

• Parental divorce has shown to have many negative
  effects on the psychological states of
  adolescents. It is well documented that
  adolescents of divorce are at an increased risk
  of various adjustment problems whose problems
  include depression and anxiety (Qtd. In Journal
  of Adolescence). Stressful life events can
  cause serious psychological changes.
• Parental divorce is the second highest ranked
  stressor according to a test on the Frequency
  and Severity Ratings on Life Events done by
  Jennifer B. Unger, a psychologist for the Journal
  of Adolescence. Parental divorce was rated a
  2.63 out of 3, which is second highest only to
  Parental Death (Unger). These high levels of
  stress related to parental divorce can be
  directly associated with psychological illnesses
  such as Depression and Anxiety.
• Results from the Nord-Trondelag Health Study
  (HUNT) show that more than Fifty-Percent of
  adolescents who are experiencing or have
  experienced a parental divorce, have experienced
  symptoms of Anxiety or Depression. The HUNT
  study shows that the internalized emotional
  distress caused by the divorcing of parents is
  shown to be the main cause for adolescent
  depression in most cases.

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Pre Divorce Conflicts

• Usually involves the arguing and fighting of the
  parents
• Can be most harmful and stressful on adolescents
  pyschological well-being
• Parental distress and discord is significantly
  associated with internalizing symptoms among
  adolescent boys and girls (Qtd. In Journal of
  Adolescence).
• Divorce is the setting off of a chain of
  negative events and transitions that are casually
  related to youths psychological distress and may
  be more potent than the physical separation of
  parents (Robert H. Aseltine).
• Stress that this places on adolescents can easily
  result in the developing of Anxiety and
  Depression.

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Post-Divorce Conflicts

• Comes in three forms
• Family Conflict Proven in Pre-divorce conflict
  to be harmful.
• Makes it difficult for Adolescents to adapt to
  new lifestyle.
• Despite the limited contact between custodial
  and non custodial parents after the divorce,
  interparental conflict may be a chronic problem
  in these families, particularly those in which
  custody arrangements, visitations, and financial
  support are contentious (Aseltine).
• Economic Hardships Most stress caused by the
  decreased standard of living.
• Financial distress is one of the clearest and
  most problematic consequences of divorce
  (Aseltine). The financial stress is almost
  always experienced by the mother.
• Causes psychological distress and disrupted
  parenting practices due to decrease in standard
  of living.
• Decline in standard of living usually involves a
  change in neighborhood, change in school, a well
  developed delinquent culture, and high crime
  rates (Qtd. In Journal of Marriage and Family).
• Living environment, decreased quality in
  parenting, and lower family income can cause an
  elevated amount of stress on adolescents which
  can result in symptoms of Anxiety and Depression.
• Family Disorganization Generally involves
  absence of a parental (usually the father).
• Studies show it is more important to maintain
  constant contact with father, than with the
  mother.
• The erosion of parental influence over and
  involvement in childrens daily lives may make
  youths susceptible to a range of personal
  problems, including psychological problems such
  as Anxiety and Depression (Aseltine).
• Child needs to be able to look towards both sides
  for help with certain problems. The problem with
  a parent not being involved with their child is
  that they wont be able to closely monitor the
  childs social activities and educational
  performance, help solve everyday problems, and
  reinforce the behavioral standards and
  disciplinary practices that they normally would
  (Qtd. In Journal of Marriage and Family).

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Gender Issues

• Males A small amount of males experience
  Anxiety or Depression. The effects of parental
  divorce on males are generally seen in the
  classroom and in social behaviors
• Females There is a relatively high prevalence
  of Anxiety and Depression in females (41). This
  is due to a greater decrease in subjective
  well-being, a lower increase in self-esteem, and
  a higher increase in school problems.
• It has been described how girls experience more
  of and/or react more upon life events and stress
  in adolescence than boys (Qtd. In Journal of
  Adolescence).

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Summary/Treatments

• Treatments For Anxiety disorders include a
  combination of medication and specific types of
  psychotherapy.
• Medications include antidepressants called
  selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
  Other antianxiety medications include groups of
  drugs called benzodiazepines and beta-blockers.
  If one medication is not effective, many others
  can be tried.
• There are two clinically-proven effective forms
  of psychotherapy used to treat anxiety disorders.
  They are behavioral therapy and
  cognitive-behavioral therapy. Behavioral therapy
  focuses on changing specific actions and uses
  several techniques to stop unwanted behaviors. In
  addition to the behavioral therapy techniques,
  cognitive-behavioral therapy can teach patients
  to understand and change their thinking patterns
  so they can react differently to the situations
  that causes them anxiety.

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Summary/Treatments

• Depression can also be treated in two ways,
  medication or pyschotherapy.
• There are Three types of Pyschotherapy
• Supportive counseling helps ease the pain of
  depression, and addresses the feelings of
  hopelessness that accompany depression. 
• Cognitive therapy changes the pessimistic ideas,
  unrealistic expectations, and overly critical
  self-evaluations that create depression and
  sustain it. Cognitive therapy helps the depressed
  person recognize which life problems are
  critical, and which are minor.
• Problem solving therapy changes the areas of the
  person's life that are creating significant
  stress, and contributing to the depression. This
  may require behavioral therapy to develop better
  coping skills, or Interpersonal therapy, to
  assist in solving relationship problems.
• First it is important to understand
  Antidepressant medication does not cure
  depression, it only helps you to feel better by
  controlling certain symptoms
• Some Medications include Elavil Luvox (SSRI). 
  Marplan (MAOI). Nardil (MAOI). Prozac (SSRI).
  Paxil (SSRI)

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Summary/Treatments

• Parental Divorce can cause an intolerable amount
  of stress on an adolescent. These stresses can
  cause symptoms of Anxiety and Depression.
• There are treatments available for both Anxiety
  and Depression.
• It is important to keep the best interests of the
  adolescents who are experiencing the divorce.
• After the divorce it is important that both
  parents play their part in maintaining a healthy
  relationship with their children to help them
  adapt to the new lifestyle.