Information on the potential psychological damages that
divorce can have on young children is far from scarce. However, recent studies
have revealed shocking and disconcerting results concerning a connection
between divorce and a child’s physical health. Adversities during
childhood have been traced to poor heath later on in life, but divorce
has never been thought of as one such adversities. Nevertheless, researchers
are claiming that the trauma of experience one’s parents split is
a powerful enough adversity to increase risk of health problems later in life.
The study was conducted by researchers from the University College London
and concluded that people whose parents split during childhood had were
at greater risk of contracting heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Researchers
examined a group of people and found that participants who reported parental
separation had higher levels of C-reactive protein, a mark of inflammation
associated with cardiac conditions. The same included participants at
age 44 and was published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology.
The results of this study are not definitive. Rather, they pose as early
support for a new theory about a subject that has been discussed for a
great deal of time. This is not the first time that a connection between
divorce and a child’s health has been traced, including a 2011 study
claiming that children of divorce are more likely to consider suicide
later in life.
While doctors and experts continue in their efforts to find answers, it
remains clear that parents seeking to end a marriage will need to make
extra efforts to care for the mental and psychological health of children.
Even in the most hostile separations, both spouses are often able to agree
on one thing: their children. Maintaining strong individual relationships
with the children and demonstrating the ability to tolerate one another
are just a couple of the ways to make divorce an easier transition for
your children. If you are considering a divorce or you have already filed
for divorce, stability and consistency is one of the most important things
for your child right now. It is a difficult experience for everyone involved,
but with hard work and determination, you and your children can endure
divorce successfully.