“The age of the adolescent plays a role on how much the child will be impacted by the transition to a stepfamily. Around the age of ten years old is when I typically see potential conflict between child and stepparent starting to form. Parents and stepparents must carefully think about the mental well being and health of the child being affected in the divorce process because it can be very traumatic for the children. If decision making is done appropriately than transitional family structure can be beneficial to the child,” Dr. Pitts said.
According to The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, external and internal conditions occur when adolescents experience divorce-related stressors, such as the remarriage of one of their biological parents. These external conditions include “antisocial, aggressive, non-compliant behavior, and diminished cognitive achievement.”
…show more content…
The effects of divorce on children often last through adulthood. Adult children of divorce are more likely to experience depression and their own divorces, as well as earn less income and achieve lower levels of education, compared with adults whose parents remained