Divorce is common among married couples in today's society. According to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on marriage, divorce, and remarriage in the United States, 43 percent of initial relational partnerships end in divorce or separation within the first 15 years (CDC, 2022). The high divorce rate has prompted greater research on the detrimental impact of divorce on children. Children face several daily challenges, such as peer pressure and discovering their own identities. Adults and parents, especially in today's environment, sometimes forget what it's like to be a child coping with some of the basic stresses that children encounter. Every year, over one million children are affected by parental divorce, and over 40% of all children will experience parental divorce before reaching adulthood (Eyo, U. E. 2018).
Erik Erikson is a well-known and influential psychoanalyst. Rather than focusing just on early life events and educational development, his psychosocial approach highlights how educational and social elements and interactions shape people's personalities throughout their lives (Maree 2021). According to psychosocial theory, all humans go through eight developmental stages in the course of their lives, from early childhood to late maturity. There are challenges and crises to overcome at each stage, and successful achievement of each challenge leads to a healthy sense of personality and ability. These developmental activities have an impact on a child's perception of divorce. The trust versus mistrust stage is the first stage of Erik Erikson's psychosocial development theory. It is during this stage that a person begins to develop trust in others and distrust those who are not trusted. This stage begins when the infant is born and lasts until the youngster is around 18 months old. In this important stage of their lives, children are growing and shaping their views of the world. This is a time when they develop their complete personality. Children rely almost completely on their parents. It is not surprising that how parents interact with their babies has a great impact on their physical and mental health. Early patterns of trust, according to Erickson, help neonates form a stable foundation of trust, which is vital for their social and emotional development. A child who builds trust effectively will feel safe and secure in the world. When parents of a child of this age divorce, it is important to maintain continuity of care so that the child can develop internal trust. This will help him or her to build a healthy connection in the future.
The third stage in Erik Erikson's theory of psychological development is the acquisition of initiative versus guilt. This time period spans between the ages of 3 and 5 years. During the initiative phase, children learn to assert their power and control over their environment by directing their play and social interactions. Children must realize that they have authority over themselves and the world. They must explore on their own to uncover their own abilities. As a result of this, they will be able to develop ambition and direction (Maree 2021). Children who are struggling at this time may become reckless, worried, and depressed. Divorce is often regarded by children as the end of family life, the beginning of an uncertain future, and the loss of affection from at least one parent. Anxiety can be triggered by emotions of uncertainty and difficulties anticipating and regulating an event.
Erik Erikson's psychological development theory includes the fourth stage of industry vs inferiority, which comes after the third stage of initiative vs guilt. The phase lasts from the age of six to eleven years and lasts throughout childhood. According to Erikson's theory, individuals go through a number of developmental phases as they grow and develop. Unlike many others, Erickson's theory covers changes that occur throughout the lifespan from birth to death (Maree 2021). Divorced parents need to support their children's ability to cope with age-appropriate situations, taking care that their children are not overloaded with unprepared physical or emotional demands. That being said, communication is crucial in this situation. The act of speaking not only helps people get what they want, but it also helps couples stay connected in their relationships. At its foundation, communication in relationships is about connecting and using verbal, written, and physical abilities to meet the requirements of one's partner.
There are various negative repercussions of divorce, and it is vital that both parents stay supportive and take their children's development seriously in order to make the transition as smooth as possible. Many parents are unaware that a divorce may affect their children just as much as it affects them. Divorce, in any case, has a profound influence on the majority of children. Some children respond and manage the situation differently than others, but all youngsters go through some type of emotional development. Children are heavily impacted by their parents' activities at a young age, and this effect can persist throughout their development and adulthood. Almost three decades of study on the impact of family structure on children's health and well-being has revealed that children who live with their married, biological parents have better physical, emotional, and intellectual well-being (Anderson, 2014). Each child and family is obviously unique, with different strengths and weaknesses, personalities and temperaments, varying degrees of social, emotional, and economic resources, and varying family dynamics prior to divorce. Divorce has been demonstrated to diminish a child's future competency in all parts of life, including family ties, education, emotional well-being, and future economic potential, regardless of these distinctions (Anderson, 2014).
When parents divorce when their children are young, the custody arrangements of the parents may disrupt a child's social network and schooling, decreasing subsequent educational achievement and frequently leading to poor vocational results (Uphold-Carrier