Broken marriages pose traumatic experiences to children, especially those from families that had strong ties between parents and children. These experiences affect children physically, psychologically and emotionally. The ability of parents to handle the divorce determines the quality of life the children will lead later especially in marriage. According to Hetherington and Kelly, growing up in broken marriages increases the chance of children having problems in their own marriages.
This case is usually so if the female in the marriage has grown up in a broken marriage. She is usually suspicious and her trust to men is usually minimal. However, Hetherington and Kelly, suggests that the biggest percentage of those who grow up in broken marriages are experienced in marital conflicts. On the other hand, a big portion of those who have grown up in broken marriages have been found to be more likely to fail in their own marriages. Many young people who have grown up in broken marriages have doubts on whether their marriages would work, given that their parents’ did not work. Parental competences are very important in instilling confidence in children.
When parents are together in a family, each imparts a useful skill in their children. Such skills make children to be more confident in dealing with life issues and especially their own marriages. Parents are role models to their children. When the parents’ marriage thrives, the children look forward to having such successful families. However, when their parents’ marriage breaks, they become psychologically disoriented towards marriage and relationships.
This may make relationships and marriages of such children to less likely succeed compared to those of children who have grown up in stable families. There are differing opinions from researchers on whether children in broken marriages are less likely to succeed in marriage. More research is, therefore, required to bring the opinions together into concrete facts.
