The impact of divorce on anxiety in elementary-aged children

Abstract

The purpose of this critical analysis of the literature was to determine the impact of divorce on levels of anxiety in elementary-aged children. The literature review also sought to determine what types of intervention strategies are available for parents to help alleviate high levels of anxiety in their children. Specifically, the review addressed these research questions: (1) What are the effects of divorce on anxiety levels in elementary-aged children? (2) What factors impact the degree of anxiety experienced in children from divorced families? (3) What types of interventions can parents use to help alleviate anxiety in children throughout the divorce process? The history of changing family structures and current status of various family structures, specifically divorce, were explored. Anxiety produced by family conflict and divorce was discussed in great detail. A number of studies noted that anxiety problems can begin even before a divorce occurs, due to high levels of conflict within the family household. Potential factors that may affect anxiety level in elementary-aged children during a divorce were examined. The diverse contributions include but are not limited to, the age of the child during the divorce, family closeness and support, socioeconomic status, and preceding situations. Because over one million children will be affected by their parents’ divorce each year, intervention strategies for parents were investigated. Multiple strategies were found to be effective in minimizing anxiety that elementary-aged children may otherwise experience during a parental divorce. A summary of findings was assessed and conclusions were reached, including the fact that children of divorced families generally have higher levels of anxiety than their counterparts from intact two-parented homes. Possible recommendations for future research in this area were discussed such as the need for continued longitudinal studies on the effects of divorce on anxiety in children. In addition, more studies on effective intervention strategies to increase children’s well-being were suggested.