There are many considerations that weigh into the decision of pursuing a divorce, with one of the most important being how it will affect the children involved. There’s no debating that children will be affected, but when considering teens, the impact can be quite significant.
Why are teens impacted so dramatically by divorce? It’s possible that teens are more mature and react to the breakup of their family unit with a greater sense of the reality and emotional impact than younger counterparts. Teens by nature of their age are already working towards establishing independence from their parents and therefore have less time under their parents care to adapt to new family and living situations naturally.
There are many studies done that point to the youth impact from divorce, including: high school graduation rates, reading scores, child poverty and teen pregnancy rates. It’s important to understand these findings and the risks posed to teens involved in divorced families, but inevitably, this is still only one factor in the decision, and the truth is that close to half of all marriages in the State of Rhode Island do eventually end in divorce.
If divorce is a consideration there are some steps that can be taken to help your teen with this transition:
If you are considering divorce, consult an attorney knowledgeable in Rhode Island divorce and child custody laws to discuss your personal situation.