There’s a lot to think about when getting divorced. There are financial concerns: the shifting of monies, rearranging of accounts, the division of assets. There are personal issues to deal with: regarding emotional health, time-sharing with friends and family members, and decisions to make regarding holidays. If you have children, all these decisions are, of course, more complicated and can cause even more stress. Being armed with information is the single-most important thing you can do to help mitigate the nasty effects of divorce. Understanding how divorce affects children of it is just one such bit of information to seek out—only by understanding the negative can you begin to effect positive.
According to the Huffington Post, new research has found that “growing up in a single-parent household can lead to high blood pressure later in life for African-American males.” The study was conducted by the National Institute of Health and analyzed blood pressure rates and incidents of hypertension among 515 African-American males at Howard University. “Those participants who grew up in single-parent households were more likely to suffer from high blood pressure compared to participants who were raised in two-parent households,” the study found.
Researchers conclude that children who were raised in single-parent homes have fewer resources available to them than children who grew up in intact homes, and as a consequence face more complications are adults. “Thus, it’s socioeconomic factors that may be to blame, though the authors write that more research is needed,” reports the Huffington Post.
There are several things any parent going through a divorce can do to help ease negative effects like these on children. According to WebMD, sometimes finding a workshop for your kids or allowing them to attend therapy could be a solution. Also, attempting to maintain some sense of normalcy by avoiding the introduction of another major change into your child’s life can help a child deal. Avoid the urge to compensate monetarily—“you may feel guilty that your kids have to cope with divorce, but it won’t help to shower them with special gifts of let them stay up late. They’ll feel more secure if you’re firm and consistent,” reports WebMD.
If you are considering divorce in Connecticut, whether you have children or not, the most important step is to seek the counsel of an attorney. Don’t go through it alone. Contact Greenberg & Krieger LLP today.