Japanese Study Says 40% of Children of Divorce Said Life Was Harder Post-Divorce

A recent study conducted in Tokyo surveyed the children of divorce. Forty percent of those surveyed said that their lives became harder after their parents divorced. Meanwhile, 60% of children didn’t seem to suffer any increase in the hardness of their lives. This is good news. We often assume that a divorce will be difficult on the children, but studies like this may indicate that the majority of children don’t suffer after their parents’ breakup.

Why Did Things Become “More Difficult” for Japanese Children? 

One of the major stressors affecting single-parent households in Japan is poverty. Japan’s rules concerning child support are not the same as America’s rules. In nearly 30% of cases involving children with parents who divorced, there was no child support agreement in place. Only 16.8% of those surveyed said that child support payments were made in a timely manner.

Even without a robust system of child support, 60% of children surveyed said that they did not suffer any more difficulties post-divorce than they did while their parents were married.

The Age of a Child During Divorce 

One of the major factors that impact whether or not a child has an easy transition into a new life is the age of the child. In cases where the child has experience living in a nurturing two-parent environment, the idea of losing that environment is more stressful to someone who has had time to get used to that environment. However, the majority of marriages don’t go along just fine for an extended period of time with the children in a loving, nurturing home and the parents having a great relationship. These marriages deteriorate over time with both spouses attempting to forestall the inevitable for the sake of the children.

For that reason, children of grade school age tend to report the most difficult psychological adjustments to divorce. These studies, however, tend not to compare their stories to children whose parents probably should have divorced but never did. Therein lies the rub.

While parents are bombarded with a new study each week that declares divorce as a leading cause of messing up their kids, the fact remains that divorce is often a solution to a major problem within the household that already has a tremendous impact on the children’s quality of life. In these situations, the child or children seldom have a nurturing environment in the first place. The environment is chaotic and filled with conflict. Hence why 60% of surveyed children did not find life any harder than it was before their parents’ divorce.

Talk to a West Palm Beach Divorce Attorney 

If you’re ready to take the next step and move forward with your life, the West Palm Beach divorce attorneys at Bruce S. Rosenwater & Associates can help protect your interests moving forward. Call today to schedule a free consultation and discuss your situation in more detail.

Resource:

parents.com/parenting/divorce/coping/age-by-age-guide-to-what-children-understand-about-divorce/