At the risk of alienating every divorced parent I know, there’s a reason that we used to call them – before political correctness took over – broken homes. A recent study out of the UK seems to confirm what most of us have already realized instinctively. Last Friday, the Daily Mail published this article ~
 
The terrible toll of making divorce easier: Children are more likely to be violent, take drugs and have underage sex
• Divorce has a major effect on every facet of a child’s later life
• Relaxation of divorce laws have seen number of broken homes increase
 

A report by Liverpool John Moores University and the NHS (Britain’s national health service) found that children who have been through family break-ups are far more likely to be violent, unhappy and feel unfulfilled throughout their lives ~

Researchers found that the turmoil endured by youngsters has a crucial influence on nearly every facet of their later life.
 
A cross-section of 1,500 people were asked if they had faced a range of 11 circumstances, known as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), covering abuse, family break-up, being raised with domestic violence and drink or drug addiction.

 
 

Coupled with details of their current lives, the research revealed the legacy of broken homes appears to weigh more heavily than any other factor, as among the worst affected group – those with four or more ACEs – two thirds had seen their parents go their separate ways, compared with an average of 24 per cent.

 
The report’s lead author, Professor Mark Bellis, apparently found the results somewhat unexpected ~

“We were surprised at just how pervasive the effects of early years experiences really are. These results underline the critical importance of a person’s start in life.”

However, Norman Wells of the Family Education Trust (a campaign group which researches the causes and consequences of family breakdown), was not surprised ~

“Casting aside traditional patterns of family life carries a high price tag in terms of the health, education and employment prospects of the next generation. The relaxation of divorce laws – along with the increasing proportion of births outside marriage – has resulted in a growing number of children lacking the benefit of being raised by both their natural parents in a stable unit.”

I agree with Mr. Wells. Unfortunately, given human nature, these sad findings were fairly predictable. When mommy and daddy reject each other, how does a child ever feel secure in the belief that he or she won’t be rejected as well?
 
And despite the best of intentions, that insecurity is almost certain to manifest itself later in the child’s life.

 
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Related:
Marriage on the Rocks
Family Matters