18 Shocking Statistics About Children and Divorce

[afterdeathwhat]

18 Shocking Statistics About
Children and Divorce

I’ve compiled these statistics about children and divorce for the “I’ll believe it when I see it” type of people who don’t accept anything as true unless it’s from a credible source or it’s been PROVEN in a convincing study.

If you are NOT one of these people, you need to read this anyway.

These days most people accept divorce as a way of life, completely unaware of the damage they are doing to their children. Tell your friends, acquaintances and co-workers to read these shocking statistics about divorce and children. It may help save a child’s life down the road. (And no, I’m not figuratively speaking either….just keep reading to find out what I mean.)

Statistics about Children and Divorce


1.   Half of all American children will witness the breakup of a parent’s marriage. Of these, close to half will also see the breakup of a parent’s second marriage.” (Furstenberg, Peterson, Nord, and Zill, “Life Course”)

2.   Among the millions of children who have seen their parents divorce, one of every 10 will also live through three or more parental marriage breakups. (The Abolition of Marriage, Gallagher)

3.   Forty percent of children growing up in America today are being raised without their fathers. (Wade, Horn and Busy, “Fathers, Marriage and Welfare Reform” Hudson Institute Executive Briefing, 1997)

4.   Of all children born to married parents this year, fifty percent will experience the divorce of their parents before they reach their 18th birthday. (Fagan, Fitzgerald, Rector, “The Effects of Divorce On America)

The EMOTIONALLY Damaging Statistics about children and divorce

5.   Studies in the early 1980’s showed that children in repeat divorces earned lower grades and their peers rated them as less pleasant to be around. (Andrew J. Cherlin, Marriage, Divorce, Remarriage –Harvard University Press 1981)

6.   Teenagers in single-parent families and in blended families are three times more likely to need psychological help within a given year. (Peter Hill “Recent Advances in Selected Aspects of Adolescent Development” Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 1993)

7.   Compared to children from homes disrupted by death, children from divorced homes have more psychological problems. (Robert E. Emery, Marriage, Divorce and Children’s Adjustment” Sage Publications, 1988)

These statistics about children and divorce are pretty shocking…aren’t they? The DEATH of a parent is LESS devastating to a child than a DIVORCE. (Even I wouldn’t believe this if I didn’t see the statistic myself.)

The PHYSICALLY Damaging Statistics about children and divorce


8.   Children of divorce are at a greater risk to experience injury, asthma, headaches and speech defects than children whose parents have remained married. (Dawson, “Family Structure and Children’s Health and Well Being” National Health Interview Survey on Child Health, Journal of Marriage and the Family)

9.   Following divorce, children are fifty percent more likely to develop health problems than two parent families. (Angel, Worobey, “Single Motherhood and Children’s Health”)

10.   Children living with both biological parents are 20 to 35 percent more physically healthy than children from broken homes. (Dawson, “Family Structure and Children’s Health and Well-being” Journal of Marriage and the Family)

11.   Most victims of child molestation come from single-parent households or are the children of drug ring members. (Los Angles Times 16 September 1985 The Garbage Generation)

12.   A Child in a female-headed home is 10 times more likely to be beaten or murdered. (The Legal Beagle, July 1984, from “The Garbage Generation”)

This is what I mean when I said “these statistics on divorce and children could save a child’s life someday.” Did you read #12? A child raised by his/her mother is 10 times more likely to be beaten or murdered.

The Long Term Effects and Statistics about children and divorce

13.   A study of children six years after a parental marriage breakup revealed that even after all that time, these children tended to be “lonely, unhappy, anxious and insecure. (Wallerstein “The Long-Term Effects of Divorce on Children” Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 1991)

14.   Seventy percent of long-term prison inmates grew up in broken homes. (Horn, Bush, “Fathers, Marriage and Welfare Reform)

Problems Relating to Peers

15.   Children of divorce are four times more likely to report problems with peers and friends than children whose parents have kept their marriages intact. (Tysse, Burnett, “Moral Dilemmas of Early Adolescents of Divorced and Intact Families. Journal of Early Adolescence 1993)

16.   Children of divorce, particularly boys, tend to be more aggressive toward others than those children whose parents did not divorce. (Emery, “Marriage, Divorce and Children’s Adjustment, 1988)

Suicide Statistics about children and divorce

17.   People who come from broken homes are almost twice as likely to attempt suicide than those who do not come from broken homes. (Velez-Cohen, “Suicidal Behavior and Ideation in a Community Sample of Children” Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 1988)

High School Drop Out Statistics about children and divorce

18.   Children of divorced parents are roughly two times more likely to drop out of high school than their peers who benefit from living with parents who did not divorce. (McLanahan, Sandefur, “Growing Up With a Single Parent: What Hurts, What Helps” Harvard University Press 1994)

I can’t stress how important it is to know all the facts before you get a divorce. Your child’s life is in your hands. If you’re seriously considering divorce and you haven’t attempted to save your marriage , I’ve just given you 18 reasons why it’s at least worth a try to keep your family together.

http://www.marriage-success-secrets.com/statistics-about-children-and-divorce.html

[Bro. Allen]

And I'm sure there are other bad effects that aren't even being considered.
I would be curious to know the spiritual effects of being raised in a broken home.
How many children are raised in broken homes without a knowledge of God?

[afterdeathwhat]

Yeah. I tried to find some stats like that but couldn't find any but they would be kinda hard to monitor. God bless.

[fla]

It has only been recently that anyone has bothered to investigate the connection between the dissolution of the proper family structure and social pathologies so all of the data are not yet in so to speak.  But from I have gathered illegitimacy has the same effects that divorce does.

I am an only child.  My parents divorced when I was 4 years old.  My mother didn’t ask for child support, and my father never worried about paying the $30 a week (pre-Jimmy Carter money) that the divorce judge ordered him to pay anyway. There were times that my mother worked 50 to 60 hours a week to make ends meet- and then she worked 50-60 hours a week for no reason at all- except may to have an excuse for not being around me.

My father never cared whether or not he ever saw me and my mother never cared the he never saw me.  I have had zero contact with him since the summer of 1983.

Number 5 was not true in my case; I usually made good grades in school because school was all I had.

I can personally vouch for #13 which I am still suffering from for all intents and purpose.  I have never had any social life because from grade 7 up I went to a college prep magnet school and was the only person in my neighborhood to go to this school.  I never attended any after-school functions because I never had transportation and since I did all my own cooking, laundry, housekeeping etcetera I never had time.  Then I was essentially exiled 600 miles from home to go to college; my mother wouldn’t let me apply to any local or in-state schools and she never bothered to see to it that I got any job skills or work experience so I couldn’t afford college on my own.

Number 9 is yes and no for me.  I was born 10 week premature, weighing less than 3.5 pounds because my mother was physically unable to carry a baby to term (and never should have gotten pregnant in the first place).  I spent the first 2 months of my life in an incubator.  Growing up I was always in good health after I outgrew the chronic bronchitis that came due to being born premature, but I was always undersized for my age (likely due to malnutrition because no one ever cared what I ate or if I ate).  I am now in congestive heart failure due to a leaky aortic valve that allows blood to flow backwards and this valve problem may be congenital- growing up some doctors said they thought I had a heart murmur, but my mother never believed them and thus never bothered to do anything about it.

I cannot say anything for number 15- with no social life I never had peers or friends.

I’ve never tried number 17, but there are times I wonder why I haven’t.

[fla]

And I'm sure there are other bad effects that aren't even being considered.
I would be curious to know the spiritual effects of being raised in a broken home.
How many children are raised in broken homes without a knowledge of God?

I once attended a Pentecostal church whose pastor was out of town one Sunday and the guest preacher for the day made the remark that your relationship with God reflects your relationship with your biological father. In my case it fits.  I never expected anything from my father and thus never expect anything from God.

[fla]

Yeah. I tried to find some stats like that but couldn't find any but they would be kinda hard to monitor. God bless.

http://www.heritage.org/research/Family/CDA02-04.cfm

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/365483/poverty_and_the_single_parent.html?cat=9

[afterdeathwhat]

Wow thanks for sharing that. I will have to go through later and mark down the things that apply to me. God bless.

[Bro. Allen]

Thanks for the links fla. I'll be sure to go over both of them.

I grew up in a stable and loving environment so I can't honestly say I know how you feel but your account of growing up broke my heart and I feel badly for any child going through this.
I can say that we do have a Father in Heaven that does care and for those that trust Him , our tears of sorrows will one day be tears of joy.

May I ask if you have accepted Christ as your personal Saviour?
Do you have a written testimony to share?
If you do , I know that would strengthen and give encouragement to others experiencing the situations you've endured.

[fla]

May I ask if you have accepted Christ as your personal Saviour?

In all honesty I doubt it.  And with equal honesty I can say that I am past the point of caring.  I took the sinner’s prayer when a traveling preacher passed through the YMCA day camp where my father worked the last summer before my parents were divorced; the prayer didn’t lead to anything that I could call any kind of born again conversion experience.

My father’s family was nominally Baptist- but they were never churchgoers since they were usually too hung over after Saturday night drinking to go to church Sunday morning.  My mother’s mother was Lutheran from a long line of Lutherans that goes back to the time of Luther.  My mother’s father was likely raised as a Baptist and he was a Catholic for a while before my mother was born and I think he went back to Catholicism on his deathbed, but I never knew him to be anything but an atheist.

I’ve never been a member of any church and I have never been a churchgoer. While I was growing up there was only church that ever sent a Sunday school bus through my neighborhood.  I stopped going because the church was bribing children with money and prizes to get them to go to church and recently it was revealed that the founding pastor of this church was a child molester with the church’s knowledge.  There is no church in my area that I consider to be sound in doctrine and practice.  I have never once asked a church for help for either myself or for someone else and had any help be forthcoming.  And I have had too many self-righteous holier than thou preachers condemn me for not going to church for me to want to have anything to do with organized Christianity.  And if the misery that I have known all of my life is any indication I cannot believe that God has ever wanted anything to do with me.  While I was in college I began working on an idea for a ministry that would have a military-type organization akin to the Salvation Army, but which would be far more comprehensive than the Salvation Army in its functions.  I have worked on the idea off and on over the years and have recently been putting a fair amount of work in to it just to have something to do.  But with no money to work with I don’t expect the idea to ever come of anything.

[Bro. Allen]

Thank you for your honesty.

Salvation isn't about church attendance or any type of works , only is salvation obtained through faith by the grace of God. It may sound well to some to hear a person mutter a "repeat after me prayer" but I fear that oftentimes there is no clear understanding of the plan of salvation by the person praying. As far as some type of conversion experience , we can't depend on our feelings or experiences to determine whether or not we are saved. We have to place our faith and trust in God's Word then once we do that , we know beyond a shadow of a doubt we have obtained salvation.

It sounds like to me that you've had several bad religious experiences and that has possibly turned you slightly cold towards God? You can't allow that to determine your fate based on the poor actions of religious people Often they're the ones that have the most calloused hearts. I'll pray for you and that you will settle this matter once and for all in your heart and accept Christ with the faith as of a little child.

[Bro. Allen]

Hello Fla

I really have a burden on my heart for you after reading your posts.
There is no reason why you can't be saved and know it for a fact.

It troubles me when I hear someone say they doubt their salvation or that they don't believe God really cares for them. If someone thinks as this , it usually means they are not in a close relationship with God , that God seems at such a great distance from them. God's Word details His love for all of us very well.

Many people feel they aren't worth saving and the truth is that none of us are worth saving but God doesn't want to see any of us perish. We have all disappointed Him at some time but as the prodigal son in Luke 15 that Jesus spoke of , the Loving Father is willing to forgive and ready at all times to welcome a lost sheep back to the flock with open arms , without any pre-conditions.

Instead of saying some scripted prayer just talk to God like you would your best friend. Confide in Him.
You don't have to be a Bible scholar to understand God's will for whosoever will accept the free gift of salvation.
The Old Testament was only a shadow of things to come , which was God's Son , Jesus Christ. All the laws and legalisms just showed us our need for a Saviour.
Jesus paid our sin debt by laying down His sinless life as a substitute for all of us so that we might have a restored relationship with a Holy God. and thus this grants us eternal life , if we accept it as our sin debt payment. I'm going to be praying for you continuously. Please don't turn Him away!

Bro. Ryan has a lot of material on these sites on what must I do to be saved.
Promise me you'll read through it and see for yourself what you must do?

We'll always be here to help answer any questions you may have regarding this.

Here are some other links you might can use.

God bless

[fla]

Hello Fla

I really have a burden on my heart for you after reading your posts.
There is no reason why you can't be saved and know it for a fact.

It troubles me when I hear someone say they doubt their salvation or that they don't believe God really cares for them. If someone thinks as this , it usually means they are not in a close relationship with God , that God seems at such a great distance from them. God's Word details His love for all of us very well.

Many people feel they aren't worth saving and the truth is that none of us are worth saving but God doesn't want to see any of us perish. We have all disappointed Him at some time but as the prodigal son in Luke 15 that Jesus spoke of , the Loving Father is willing to forgive and ready at all times to welcome a lost sheep back to the flock with open arms , without any pre-conditions.

Instead of saying some scripted prayer just talk to God like you would your best friend. Confide in Him.
You don't have to be a Bible scholar to understand God's will for whosoever will accept the free gift of salvation.
The Old Testament was only a shadow of things to come , which was God's Son , Jesus Christ. All the laws and legalisms just showed us our need for a Saviour.
Jesus paid our sin debt by laying down His sinless life as a substitute for all of us so that we might have a restored relationship with a Holy God. and thus this grants us eternal life , if we accept it as our sin debt payment. I'm going to be praying for you continuously. Please don't turn Him away!

Bro. Ryan has a lot of material on these sites on what must I do to be saved.
Promise me you'll read through it and see for yourself what you must do?

We'll always be here to help answer any questions you may have regarding this.

Here are some other links you might can use.

God bless

My college degree is in biology and it comes with 40 credit hours in history.  I've always been interested in the scientific and historical aspects of the Biblical account and likely know more than is average for a layman.  I believe that if someone is saved they are saved regardless.  An apostate Christian likely wasn't a Christian to begin with since their repentance and faith were insincere.  My biggest problem right now is believing that anyone in Heaven cares anything about me when nobody on earth ever has.  And I cannot fathom that there is a purpose for me in Heaven when there has never been any purpose for me on earth.  All I can do now is let God sort everything out.

I'll have a look at the other board, but I have been thrown off of too many other boards because of doctrinal disputes for me to want to invest too much time in discussion before I have some idea that the same thing won't happen again.  I'll start a new thread here with an explanation of the doctrine that I accept.

[Bro. Allen]

No doubt , faith is central to salvation. That's why when I hear someone doubting their salvation I wonder if faith is present , so it's better to ask than to ignore.
Faith is having confident complete trust and total reliance upon Christ.

Hebrews 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

I think people sometimes confuse accepting Christ and head knowledge of Christ and I wanted to make sure you know Christ as your personal Saviour instead of simply believing in God because even the demons believe.

My biggest problem right now is believing that anyone in Heaven cares anything about me when nobody on earth ever has.  And I cannot fathom that there is a purpose for me in Heaven when there has never been any purpose for me on earth.

You may have just answered your own problem.
We aren't capable of expanding our minds to grasp the whole character of God so we sometimes shrink God to fit inside our minds but God is much greater than we can comprehend. His love for us is so much greater than we can comprehend.
I just recently became a grandfather and I love this little girl more than anything in this world but God loves her even more than I and that's more than I can begin to fathom. God even loves His enemies and that's a concept that's difficult for us. God was willing for Christ to endure suffering in human flesh for us and to offer salvation freely well that's the ultimate love. Just as the plan of salvation , God always has a program and a purpose and He has a purpose for you. I believe as you walk closer with God and exercise your faith , this purpose will be revealed. Just be attentive and listen for that still small voice to give you direction.

God bless

[afterdeathwhat]

Fla Have you ever seen the movie Late One Night? I think it does a great job of showing no matter what a person is going through that God loves them. If you are interested I would be happy to send you a copy. Let me know. God bless.

[afterdeathwhat]

Fla Have you ever seen the movie Late One Night? I think it does a great job of showing no matter what a person is going through that God loves them. If you are interested I would be happy to send you a copy. Let me know. God bless.

I found the full version online. I posted it here http://afterdeathwhat.com/forum/index.php/topic,233.0.html Check it out. God bless.