Filed under: Alcoholism, Exemplary Children of Divorce, Health, Household Pets, Raised by non-relatives, Uncategorized
In 1937, his parents divorced and he was passed from relative to relative before being returned to his alcoholic father, experiences that profoundly shaped his life. ‘A nomadic existence made Nature my companion of choice, because the outdoors was the one part of my world I perceived to hold rock steady. Animals and plants I could count on; human relationships were more difficult.’
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/oct/01/usa.science
Sociobiologist Edward O. Wilson whose parents divorced when he was 7 years old found a creative outlet for his expression through the life style brought on by his parents’ divorce. The year of the divorce he was blinded in one eye during a fishing accident. The eyesight in his other eye began to lose vision and he began to lose the ability to hear in the upper registers, so lost the ability to hear bird songs.
Because he obviously is incredibly adaptable (and adaptable) he continued his love of the observation of nature by focusing on the study of insects later on in college. They were small and could be observed close up.
Filed under: Health, PTSD, Stepfamilies, links to articles, separate households
As usual there is no mention about health effects of Children of Divorce, but a recent study from the University of Chicago Center on Aging has determined that people who suffer the loss of a marriage are 20 percent more likely to suffer from chronic health problems. That makes for more responsibilities for the kids to have to manage along with weakened role models to emulate.
The study will be published in the Journal of Health & Social Behavior, Sept, 2009 issue.
I’ve said before that I think it probably matters in the quality of life for the children whether or not they live with the parent who decides to leave or the one who is dumped. The child has much exposure to very complex and difficult emotions if living in the same house with a heartbroken parent. The role of “Choice” is known in being a major factor in development of PTSD type of emotional problems and I think it makes sense that this will transfer on down to the kids, maybe only one of the kids in the family will absorb the responsibilities.
I’m finding it very alarming how Step-parents are the only ones who seem to express any open reactions to split family situations. The level of hostility in many of these situations can only be destructive and the biological parents need to take the most active role in setting up positive relations.
Studies like these are also deceptive because they leave out the families who benefit from Divorce. Either way these studies always seem to find that same 20-25% ratio of people who are affected by any stress that I keep seeing repeat itself. I sort of suppose that 25% have extreme negative reactions, 25% benefit, and 50% plead complacency, but that’s a gross assumption.
From the Yahoo article called: “Marriage Ends; Health Declines” by Randy Dotinga:
Other important factors include the nature of marriages and their breakups, said marriage researcher Janice Kiecolt-Glaser.
Her research has found that women and men who were recently divorced had weaker immune systems than those who had been divorced longer. “We also found that it mattered if you had chosen the divorce, or if your spouse was the one who asked for it,” said Kiecolt-Glaser, director of health psychology at the Ohio State University College of Medicine. “You are better off being the one who walked rather than the one who was left behind.”
Also, she said, those who remain preoccupied with thoughts of their former spouse — either pro or con — had immune problems.
