The Impact of Divorce on Children’s Emotional and Neurological Development: Mediating Factors and Developmental Outcomes

Abstract

Parental divorce can impact the development of children significantly. This literature review, which includes cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews, considers the effects of divorce on children’s emotional, behavioral, and neurobiological outcomes, as well as environmental factors that potentially mediate adverse effects. Research findings have linked divorce to both internalizing and externalizing behavior patterns. Studies show that prolonged stress from experiences of divorce is associated with dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, thus causing chronic cortisol elevation and leading to future risks for mental and physical health. Evidence suggests that genetic factors, including the oxytocin allele type, can influence adjustment after divorce. Specific environmental factors, such as minimal interparental conflict, higher quality parent-child relationships, and adverse parenting practices (e.g., role diffusion and triangulation), have been shown to mediate long-term negative effects of divorce. Divorce early in a child’s life can alter their attachment style, making them more prone to anxious and avoidant attachment, leading to issues in future relationships. Broadly, the overall body of literature suggests that a child’s broader environmental context, including familial relationship quality, conflict, and structure pre- and post-divorce is generally more impactful in respect to child development than divorce itself. Additional research is needed in order to identify parenting practices that help protect children from negative outcomes of divorce, and to more clearly elucidate the role of neurobiological variables in emotional and behavioral outcomes.