Broken homes and its implications on the health of children

Introduction

Broken homes occur as a result of the legal dissolution of a marriage by a court or other competent body (Oxford Dictionary, 2000). Broken home also a family situation after the termination of a marital union the cancelling of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and the dissolving of the bonds of matrimony between a couple.

Henry VIII (2009) state that the 1857 matrimonial causes Act allowed ordinary people to divorce, before then, the right to separation was largely open only to men and had to be granted by an Act of Parliament, which was hugely expensive, and therefore was also open only to the rich. Long before then Henry VIII was granted a divorce by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and church courts, retained the power to dissolve marriage. Under the new law women divorcing on the ground of adultery not had to prove that their husbands had been unfaithful but also had to prove additional faults, which include cruelty, rape and incest. A Private Members’ Bill in 1923 made it easier for women to petition for divorce for adultery but is still had to prove .in 1937 the law was change and divorce was allowed on other grounds including drunkenness, insanity and desertion, the big change came in 1969, when the divorce reform act was passed allowing couples to divorce after they had been separated for two years or five years if only one of them wanted a divorce.

Patrick Fagan (1999) said that broken homes is hurting children in the developing countries very badly, each year over a million children suffer the effect of broken homes of their parent and by half of children reaching their eighteenth year who were born to married parent will have experienced the broken homes of their parents and in family life. Broken homes permanently weaken the relationship between children and parents. In education broken homes diminishes learning capacities in high school and college attainment, and also in government and citizenships. Also broken homes massively increase crime rate, abuse, neglect rate and the use of drugs, it also weaken the health status of children and their life span will be shortened. Finally it increase behaviour, emotional and psychiatric risk including suicide and also diminishes social competences.

Jennifer Bratter and Rosalind (2008) conducted a study on behalf of the educational centre to examine where crossing racial boundaries increased the risk of broken homes using 2002 National Survey of Family Growth. The likelihood of broken homes for interracial couples to that of same race couples was compared. Comparison across marriage cohorts revealed that overall, interracial couples have higher rates of broken homes particularly for those who got married during the late 1980s. White wife/black husband marriages are twice as likely to end up in broken homes by the year of marriage compared to white/white couples or black to black couples, while white wife/Asian husband marriages are 59% more likely to end in broken homes compared to white/white union. In the case of black wife/white husband marriage, broken homes by the 10^th year is 44% common.

Demo and Cox (2000) observed that before parental divorce, children and adolescent suffers due to high levels of marital discord, ineffective and inconsistent parenting, diminished parental well-being and reduced parent/child affection. These studies suggest that the alteration in family functioning that occur during a separation/divorce leads to children witnessing their parent fighting, parents’ emotional and psychological states deteriorating and diminishing levels of parental warmth, affection and supervision.

Fidler and Bala (2000) reported both an increasing judicial findings of parental alienation; they report estimates of parental alienation in 11 – 15% of broken homes involving children. As child welfare and broken homes practitioners are often unaware of or minimize its extent as reported by adult children of broken homes, the tactics of alienating parents are tantamount to extreme psychological maltreatment of children including spurning, terrorizing, isolation, corruption or exploiting and denying emotional responsiveness.

Broken homes and its implications in the health of children is a very serious problem and is also a sad experience that has caused so much effect on the psychological states of children such as anxiety, depression, low self esteem, self-hatred, etc. It also destroys the entire life pattern and plan of children. Due to these, the researcher aims at finding solutions to reduce these problems on children.

Concept of broken homes

A broken home or family is one in which both parents are separated. It is a process after the final termination of a marital union, cancelling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bound of matrimony between the couples. When a marriage breaks up, both parties of such union no longer bears the fulfilment of the union. In other words, opposite of the union becomes the topic issue of the family. This results to severe implications on the health of children. It is important to note that these changing family dynamics contribute to children experiencing behavioural problems in turn strain marital relationship (Accock and Demo, 1994).

Melanahan and Sandefur (1994) research shows that even after one control for a range of family background differences, children who grow up living in an intact household with both biological parents present seem to do better, on average a wide range of social indicators than children who grow up in a single parent’s household. For example, they are less likely to drop-out of school, become teen parent, be arrested and be unemployed.

Negative, psychological effects are almost unavoidable for children from failed marriages. Much, if not most of the psychological damages caused by a broken home is directed towards the children that are wedged in the middle of dispute they are relatively powerless to intervene in their parents’ affairs to stop the dissolution of marriage. More than half of all broken homes occur in families with children under 18 years old (Amato, 2000).

Causes of broken homes

Furthermore, most people do not think carefully before they get married. However, the broken homes rate tends to continually increase nowadays. Below are the major causes of broken homes according to Sarah (2010);

1. Lack of communication: Owing to financial state in each family, many people are busy; they have inadequate time to talk the problem with their partner. Some couples are often quiet when they have problem with each other which produces the likelihood of broken homes.
2. Lack of maturity: When one is still immature, and does not have any idea about marriage, no matter how understanding the other spouse is, this can still lead to broken homes.
3. Addiction: One of the top reasons for broken homes is addition. Whether it is alcoholism, substance abuse or gambling. If any of these are present in a relationship, then it is more likely that the relationship will end.

Kim Olver (2013) stated three (3) reasons for broken homes

1. Cheating: Many people said that if their partner cheats on them, they would end the relationship. Although not every couple feels this way, some people indicated a willingness to work through. When infidelity occurs many thought they will not stay a relationship or restore trust in their partner.
2. Dishonesty: Many people in happy relationships said if their spouse lied to them, they may not be able to continue the relationship. For many people, the marriage should be built on absolute trust. When the trust is abused or broken, some cannot maintain that relationship.
3. Abuse: Some people state that if their spouse hit them physically or sexually abuse their children, the relationship would be over.
4. Lack of Trust: This is another reason why marriages fail. What causes lack of trust is infidelity, extramarital affairs and constant lying by any of the spouse. Immediately that trust is broken, the marriage now begins to go downhill. When a couple exchange their wedding vows on the altar, they actually trade their exclusivity to one another. They both gave their freedom, time, love, trust to the other spouse, then when one spouse betray the trust, then the other spouse will feel disappointed.
5. Allowing past relationships into their marriage: Sometimes people bring in the excess baggage of their past relationships into their marriage. They may have previously been hurt or coming from a previous bad relation. They tend to allow it to affect their marriage by pre-judging their spouse; they found themselves thinking about their past relationships and compare it to their marriage and they put their marriage under pressure and risk of failure because their partner cannot meet up with the former relationships.

Repeated sickness of any of the spouse, religious differences, childlessness and sexual problems in a marriage can lead to broken homes (Otite and Ogionwo, 1981).

Implications of broken homes on the health of children

Carl Pickhard (2011) says that broken homes introduce a massive change into the life of a boy or a girl no matter the age. Witnessing loss of love between parents, having parents break up their marriage commitment will create a challenging new family circumstance in which to live. Basically, broken homes tend to intensify the child dependence and it often tends to accelerate the adolescent’s independence. It often elicits a more regressive response in the child and more aggressive response in the adolescent.

For the young child, a broken home shakes trust and independency on parents who now behave in an extremely undependable way. Research has established that children from broken homes are at a higher for adjustment problems than children from intact families. For broken homes children experience less financial security, low academic achievement, more alcohol and cigarette abuse because of depression and lower rates of employment as young adults.

McLanahan (1999) also stated some implications of broken homes on the health of children below;

1. At fault: For some reasons, children may believe the broken home is their fault; caused by something they said or did not and feel a deep sense of guilt and shame.
2. Rejection: Children of broken homes may feel rejected and unloved by the parent who had left.
3. Insecure and afraid of the future: A child sense of insecurity may make them fear the future about ‘what’s next?” will we be poor? Will I have to go to a new school? In short, they will fret about all the things that are important in their world.

Developmental consideration in the response of children

A major focus of the scholarly literature on broken homes is the grouping of common reaction of children by age groups as discussed by Wallerstain (2008)

Preschool (ages 3 – 5): These children are likely to exhibit a regression of the most recent developmental milestone achieved. Alternatively, sleep disturbance and an exacerbation, fear of separation from the custodial parent are common.

Early latency (ages 6 — 8): These children will often openly grieve for the departed parent. There is a noted pre-occupation with fantasies that disting wishes the reaction of this age group, children have replacement or fantasies that their parents will happily reunite in the not-so-distant future. Children in this developmental stage have an especially difficult time with the concept of the performance of the broken homes.

Late latency (ages 8 — 11): Anger and a feeling of powerlessness are the predominant emotional response in this age group like the developmental stages, the children experiences a grief reaction to the loss of their previously intact family. There is a greater tendency to label a ‘good” and a “bad” parent and these children are very susceptible to attempting to take care of a parent at the response of their own needs. The negative effect of broken homes on children depends on the age and sex of the child at that time.

Broken homes reputation on children

Cristina Odone (2012) observed that our society have created myth of broken homes and culture have presented marriage as a frothy white Disney confection and broken homes as the automatic option when a flaw surface is in the confection. But Chritina Odone has applauded Sir Paul’s bravery for standing up against it. Celebrities have given marriage an impossible build-up and broken homes a good reputation; they are wrong on both counts. Marriage is not a romantic institution as people think but a very pragmatic one. It is simply the best way to raise children. He when further to say that children from broken homes never sustain their marriages or build a successful home. Therefore they should not involve themselves in marriage and that the society looks at children as cursed and therefore nothing good can come out of them. Such children face great stress which always prone them to problems, truancy, drop out of school, drug and alcohol abuse. The society views children from broken homes, a ready candidate for social menace. We hear of promiscuity, harlotry, loitering, smoking, lack of respect and even armed robbery, lower educational performance than those from unbroken homes, as a result of less monitoring of school work by both parents.

Bible’s view on broken homes

When tensions are high between husband and wife, dissolving the marriage may seem to be the easiest course of action. God as the originator of marriage is not happy seeing people separate for mere reasons. Adultery and death is the only scriptural ground for divorce with the possibility of remarriage (Matthew 19:9; I Corinthians 7:39). If you have definite proof that your marriage mate has been unfaithful, then you face a difficult decision. Will you continue in the marriage or get a divorce? There are no rules. Some Christians have completely forgiven a genuinely repentant partner and the preserved marriage has turned out well. Others have decided against broken homes for the sake of their children. Watchtower Bible and Tracts Society (1996), The Secret of Family Happiness.

Solution to broken homes and its implication on the health of children

To find a solution to the problem of broken homes is not easy by any means. One possibility is to extend research into marriage counselling, increasing levels of training for marriage counsellors will give parents someone with education and insight into family relationships to assist them in times of disagreement. Constructing the field of marriage into a more prestigious role will more than likely increase the number of marriage counsellors throughout the world. An increase in the number of therapists will improve the availability of help for troubled families.

Discussing their problems in a comfortable productive setting will do wonders for a family on the verge of separation. Education is also necessary to deal with this problem. People must learn how to communicate with their spouses and compromise when it is needed. Men and women need to be careful when mate selection is considered to ensure that they will have full compatibility with each other. When a couple marries, they must learn to be tolerant of each other’s behaviour and learn how to express themselves productively to see the stress causing by raising a family. Another possible solution would be to have the Nigerian government set up more marriage or family oriented classes in high schools and colleges around the country. The research regarding broken homes must be shown to young adults in order for them to understand what the bond of marriage is supposed to mean. People should be more educated about the lasting effects that broken homes can have on them and their children (Amato and Rogers, 1997).

References

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Amato, P. & Roger, S. (2001). Solution to the Problem of Broken homes Retrieved (2013–11–14) from www.sociology.uiowa.Edu/…/broken homes.doc

Carl, P. T. (2011). The Effect of Broken homes on Young Children and Adolescents. Retrieved (2013 – 11 – 16) from www.psychologytaday.com

Cristina, O. (2012). Reputation of Broken homes on Children. Retrieved (2013 – 11 – 17) from blog.telegraph.co.uk

Fidler, O. & Bala, S. (2000). Estimates of Broken homes Involving Children, Retrieved (2013 – 11 – 12) from www.psychologytoday.com/blog/co.par.

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Jenifer, L.B. & Rosalind, B. K. (2008). Examination on Crossing Racial Boundaries Increased the Risk of Broken homes. Retrieved (2013 – 9 – 12) from www.wikipedia.com.

Kim, O. (2013). Causes of Broken homes. Retrieve (2013 – 11 – 16) from www.huffingtonpost.com.

Mchanahan, A. (1999). Implication of Broken homes of the Health of Children. Retrieved (2013 – 11 – 14) from www.apa.org>home

Patrick, F. D. (1999). Implication of Broken homes on Children Health. Retrieved (2013 – 9 – 12) from worldcongress.org/…/wcfz-fagan.htm/implication.

Sally, W. (2000). Oxford Dictionary of Current English. Oxford University Press, (6^th Ed,) pp. 341.

Sarah, B. (2010). Causes of Broken homes. Retrieved (2013 – 11 – 16) from www.123helpme.com

Wallersteinn, J. (2008). The Child and the Vicissitudes of Broken homes. Retrieved (2013 – 10 – 14) from www.psychologytody.com/blog/co.

Watchtower Bible and Tracts Society (1996). The Secret of Family Happiness. Watchtower Bible and Tracts Society of Pennsylvania, U.S. pp. 158 – 159.