Lots of things can change for a kid when their parents divorce. An important thing to note is that the effects of a divorce of parents on children is not some uniform thing, but rather something that will differ for every child. Many things can impact how a child will react to a divorce and what sorts of challenges they could face in connection to it. One is a child’s individual characteristics. For example, as a recent study indicates, a child’s gender might have impacts on what things are like for them after their parents divorce.
The study indicates that boys tend to have a greater degree of negative reaction to disadvantage than girls. One of the things that can create situations of disadvantage for a child are life disruptions. A divorce of parents can result in such disruptions. Thus, the study raises the possibility that a divorce of parents and its effects could be particularly tough on boys.
Why do you think boys might have a particularly tough time dealing with situations of disadvantage? Do you think there are, generally, major differences between how boys and girls react to and are affected by divorce?
Of course, what impacts a divorce has on a child is not solely driven by the child’s characteristics. Other things that can have big effects in this regard include how their parents act, what their parents say and what their parents do during and after the divorce. For example, what sort of child custody arrangement divorcing parents reach can impact a child greatly.
Now, a child’s unique characteristics could have a big impact on what type of child custody arrangement would be in their best interests. So, it can be very important for divorcing parents to keep their children’s unique circumstances in mind when addressing divorce issues like child custody.
Source: The Huffington Post, “New Study Suggests Divorce Could Be Harder on Boys Than Girls,” Peggy Kruger Tietz, Nov. 20, 2015