Children of Divorce

Abstract

The chapter describes children of divorce, their experiences, behaviors, and adjustment issues in relation to their parents’ separation. It also examines how the separation impacts the children’s academic achievement, social relationships, emotional expressions, psychological well-being, and coping skills, and how family relationships, interaction, and communication after the separation mediate the impact of the parents’ separation on the children’s adjustment. This chapter likewise highlights the important role of emotion regulation as a protective factor in the adjustment of children of divorce. The different factors that help in the development of emotion regulation of children of divorce have been identified. Auspicious interventions that have been identified in the literature are described. The chapter ends with specific recommendations on how children of divorce can be further facilitated, particularly in enhancing their emotion regulation competencies.