The Effects of Divorce on Children

In today’s society, divorce touches the lives of many families and children. In The Effects of Divorce on Children, author Deborah Henady-Korba explores the impact of divorce on young children, focusing on boys ages eight to twelve and the mother-son relationship. This critical literature review seeks to establish connections with divorce and issues related to adjustment including problem-solving skills, coping mechanisms, attachment and bonding, explanatory style, vulnerability, resilience, risk, and adjustment problems with behavioral and emotional outcomes. It addresses the following questions: • How do boys between the ages of eight and twelve in divorced families cope successfully? • What are their coping behaviors? • Is there a relationship between the effects of post-divorce adjustment on boys who are between eight and twelve years of age and their developmental stages leading to increased behavioral and emotional problems? • What are the effects of post-divorce adjustment on the mother-son relationship? The Effects of Divorce on Children shares the results of Henady-Korba’s Literature Review and makes a meaningful contribution to social change in today’s society, by offering a revised Diathesis-Stress Model incorporating protective and risk factors that lead to effective or ineffective coping skills and resiliency that may be applied in several areas of psychology.