divorces the children involved believe they are responsible for it.

When a child believes that he or she is the cause of a divorce, many

different kinds of results may happen. There is always the mental

trauma that can occur. Divorce only adds to the turmoil and hardships

of adolescence. Some of the initial reactions to divorce are similar

to the death of a loved one (Diamond 1987). The feelings of anger,

sadness, and anxiety are very common. Many feel that they are left out of the family choices when their parents divorce.

The feelings of anxiety can often been confused or masked by anger and

sadness. The children worry about themselves, their parents, and their

siblings. They also worry about their place in the family and which

parent they would stay with. Whether they will like their parents new

relationships may also cause problems. The boyfriend /girlfriend can

make children very uncomfortable in their home.

Sadness is usual caused by a sense of loss. They feel that they are

losing their “family” because of the divorce. Family can be defined in

different ways determined by the situation that a child is in. For

Cherlin, Andrew, Divided Families. Harvard University Press, Cambridge,

McGuire, Paula, Putting it together. Delacorte Press, New York, NY, 1987

Teenagers find it hard to express their sadness, and the parents have

Diamond, Susan. Helping Children of Divorce. Jossey-Bass, Chicago, 1987

few would venture into more dangerous drugs. Some would even sneak

Some topics in this essay:
, Wolchik Karoly, Readers Digest, RS Overcoming, VM Finlay, Coiro MJ, Forehand Rex, PR Booth, Needle RH, Mcgraw-Hill NY, parental divorce, university press, occur divorce, university press cambridge, periodicals newspapers, children divorce, reactions divorce, skipping school, parent-child relationships, harvard university, press ny, harvard university press,