With nearly half of all divorces involving at least one child, new research has highlighted the damaging effect this is having on them.
The family lawyer’s association Resolution found that divorces are impacting children’s exam results as well as their personal life.
The study saw 65 per cent of children from a divorced family believing that it had had an adverse effect on their GCSE results.
Of the 14 to 22-year-olds taking part in the study, 44 per cent saw their A-levels suffer. More generally, more than one in 10 got into more trouble than usual whilst in education, and 12 per cent confessed to skipping classes.
In addition, breakups were also having a negative effect on a child’s health, with many respondents turning to alcohol and drugs. The survey saw 14 per cent say that they started drinking or drinking more alcohol after a divorce, with 13 per cent admitting to experimenting with drugs or at least thinking about it.
Another concerning health impact was seen in the 28 per cent of young people surveyed who began either eating more or less following their parents’ divorce.
Jo Edwards, chair of Resolution, commented: “These new findings show the wide-ranging impact of divorce and separation on young people. It underlines just how important it is that parents going through a split manage their separation in a way that minimises the stress and impact on the entire family, especially children, otherwise their exam results could suffer.
“Divorce and separation is always traumatic, but there is a better way to deal with it.”