Many Pennsylvania households include children who are trying to adapt to new lifestyles. When parents decide to divorce, their decisions have significant impacts on their children’s lives. Not only is it important to try to keep legal stress to a minimum for financial reasons and other adult-related matters, it is also critical to help kids cope in as healthy a manner as possible.
On the contrary, children may experience numerous adverse effects during or following their parents’ marital break-up. In fact, some children complain of headaches, tummy aches or other adverse physical health conditions that are closely connected to their parents’ situations. Especially when a divorce is contentious, constant arguing, battling things out in court and other issues can definitely have a negative effect children’s health.
A concerned parent can help a son or daughter come to terms with divorce by letting him or her know that it is okay (and encouraged) to share his or her emotions. A child might feel angry, sad or nervous as he or she adapts to the changes in his or her life. If a child feels torn between both parents, he or she may exhibit symptoms of high-level stress.
A study that was done with children of divorce showed that kids who talked about parental conflict showed elevations of cortisol in their bodies. Cortisol is a negative stress hormone. However, children who participated in the study who felt encouraged and supported by their parents experienced a decline in cortisol in less than an hour. A Pennsylvania parent can be proactive in trying to reduce stress and promptly address any legal issues that arise in as amicable a fashion as possible.