1. The Effects Of Divorce On Adolescents By: Vanessa Mcclennan

2. Reasons I Chose This Topic… Its something I can relate to personally. I have friends who also experienced their parents divorce. Its something that 50 percent of kids in the United States can relate to. I felt that sometimes how children feel is overlooked.

3. Behavioral Effects On Adolescents It can cause acute suicidal ideation, and some violent acts. Acting out in School such as: Fighting Bullying someone Disrespectful towards teachers and staff members .

4. Emotional Effects On Adolescents…. Some emotional effects on adolescents are: Mood swings Lack of confidence Sudden outburst of frustrations and anger. Withdraw from family and friends Reluctant to discuss feelings.

5. Future Effects On Adolescents… Adolescents may become anxious and fearful about their own future love and marital relationship. May purposely sabotage future relationships because of what they have witnessed in parents relationships. They could start using drugs, alcohol, or can have multiple sexual relatioships,which can lead to obvious health risk and problems such as: Lung cancer Liver Cancer Multiple STD’s

6. Adolescent Stress in relation to Divorce… Most teenagers handle stress poorly without divorce involved. Once divorce is involved it can become their priority which can cause more stress than the average teenager can handle. Boys are more externally symptomatic; they act out of anger, frustration, and hurt. Girls tend to internalize their distress.

7. Signs Of Stress in Adolescents… Some signs of stress may include: They have a fear of being isolated and lonely. Feel hurried to achieve independence Difficulty concentrating And have mourned the loss of the family and of their childhood.

8. What Parents Do Wrong… They try to protect their children from the same stress and anguish they feel, but avoiding the issue only adds to the stress. Arguing about the divorce in front of children. Making the child choose sides Not explaining clearly enough that its not their fault.

9. How Adolescents put the blame of Divorce on themselves… They think that if they had just behaved better or done better in school it would not have happened. Mixed signals from their parents about what’s wrong leave them assuming its their fault. Studies show that children of depressed mothers feel more guilt than those with healthy mothers. The best thing that parents can do is reassure their children its not their fault.

10. How To Help… Parents should help children except and channel their anger property. (these methods depend on the child’s character.) Provide loving and nurturing environments, while setting limits on irrational behavior. Parents, friends, and other family members should assure the child that everything will be okay by providing emotional support and warmth.

12. Keep your commitments and the promises you make to your children.

13. Let them know that the family isn’t over because they split.

14. If all else fails the best thing to do would is to take your child to therapy.(therapy doesn’t mean your child has a mental illness. It means your child needs someone they can trust to talk to that’s not their parent.)