The Impact of Parental Separation on Children

In the United States, more than one million children each year are exposed to parental separation^.[1] Research increasingly sheds light on both the short-term and long-term impacts of parental separation on involved children.

Keep reading to learn about the effects of a parental separation on children, and contact the family law attorneys at Andalman & Flynn for assistance with your separation, divorce, or child custody matter.

How Children May Be Impacted by Parental Separation

Parental separations marked by conflict and lack of effective communication may impact children’s adjustment and wellbeing differently than parental separations with less conflict and more cohesion. Social factors including co-parenting can improve the adjustment of children and protect against some of the negative consequences of separation.^[2] In a recent study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, more than two hundred otherwise healthy adults were administered nasal drops containing a rhinovirus (which can cause a common cold). Study participants were monitored for five days and assessed for the development of a respiratory illness. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study found that while individuals whose parents had separated but remained on speaking terms were no more likely than individuals whose parents stayed together to develop a cold, the individuals whose parents separated and never spoke were more than three times as likely to develop a cold compared to those whose parents had remained together^.[3]

Contact the Family Lawyers at Andalman & Flynn Today

Andalman & Flynn P.C. attorneys are knowledgeable regarding family environments, family dynamics, and the impacts of separation and divorce on families and children. For more information related to children, separation, and divorce, contact us online today. For a consultation, call (301) 563-6685, or toll-free at 1-888-558-7871.