Effects of Divorce in Teenagers

Effects of divorce in teenagers

Divorce may be caused by many different reasons, but it not only affects the two persons involved in it, it also affects the teenager son or daughter that is in between. A parents divorce in a teenager's life could lead to existential questions, academic disadvantage, depression, rebellion, etc. In these late years it is common to see divorced people with children. In some cases divorce is caused by: infidelity, mistrust, physical or psychological abuse, etc. This may seem reasons enough to get a divorce but everything changes when the couple has a child or teenager in between. Get divorced may be seen by many people as something "normal" due to the media and other communication means, but its effects in a teenagers life are many. Divorce affects teenagers in many ways.

One of the effects could be existential questions. As the divorce occurs, a teenager grows with emptiness and a desire of having her/his family together as in the past. As any other individual, he /she is used to have her family together which may lead to questions as: "Why did this happened to me?", "Why I am in this world?", "Why I don't have a complete family as other teenagers?", "Why would God allow this to happen?" When this happens, a teenager starts to question his/her reason of being in the world. Some teenagers question the reasons why this happened to them and start to doubt that God created them for a special reason and with a unique purpose.

Divorce also leads teenagers to academic disadvantage. Some parents tend to focus on their problems and disregard their teenagers, sometimes without even noticing it. Most of Teenagers with divorced parents have custody. This is when by the law; he/she "belongs" to his/her mother for certain days and to his/her father for other days. In other cases, there are teenagers that live only with one of their parents. Both of this cases cause a teenager to not have an ideal support in academic things from both parents at the same time. Desconcentration and disinterest for going to school and having good grades could happen. The lack of attention of their parents could create inattention for having good grades and even going to school. These problems may cause the teenagers to not feel motivated or to "not have enough reasons" to study or be concentrated in academic things.

Divorce may also lead to rebellion. When a teenager experiments the fact that he/she has no longer the support or the attention of both parents because of these kind of problems, he/she may rebel against his/her mom or dad, against God, and against every kind of authority around her/him. Some teenagers blame everything to their parents and to God. They may think that everything bad that happens in their life is their parents fault and start to question why God permits things like this happen to them.