New research suggests that in at least one instance of overall bad behavior, divorce is not the reason for behavioral problems. Allen Li, associate director of the Population Research Center, uses a 28 item checklist. His check list "measures behavior problems such as crying, cheating or arguing frequently in children ages 4 to 15" (Li 2008). He found that "the behaviors post-divorce had a slight increase but not really significant to measure" (Li 2008).
A review of marriage research released in 2005, suggested that "children of two-parent families were better off emotionally, socially and economically." Research released the same year by Elizabeth Marquardt of the Institute for American Values, found that, "an unhappy marriage without a lot of conflict is better for children of divorce" (Marquardt 2005).
In a study by Judith S. Wallerstein, she studied children of divorce over a period of time and it "supported strong negative effects on children from divorced families" (Wallerstein & Blakeslee 1989). She states that "10 years after a divorce, only 34% of the children in the study were doing well. Another 37% were depressed, could not concentrate in school, had trouble making friends and suffered from a wide range of behavioral problems" (Wallerstein 1989). The study showed that the 34% of children possess the ability to "cope with or even benefit from their new life situation" (Wallerstein & Blakeslee 1989). Wallerstein gives a detailed list of tasks children should follow to help them get through divorce. Most important, "understanding divorce, strategic withdrawal, dealing with loss, accepting the permanence of divorce, and taking a chance on love" (Wallerstein & Blakeslee 1989). Parental involvement needs to continue to encourage the bond between parent and child and protect against the "over-burdened child syndrome" by encouraging them to remain children.
