Adult Suicide Risk for Children of Divorce

 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Children of divorce

The trauma of a contested divorce can impact children long after the initial experience, and can increase the risk of suicide in adulthood. However, parents can help prevent trauma for children by maintaining a higher awareness of child behavior during and after divorce proceedings.

Columbia University's Dana Alonzo, PhD, utilized data from a survey in which the U.S. Bureau Of Census interviewed over 43,000 participants. Each were asked specifically about the marital status of their parents as well as possible abuse of alcohol. Alonzo's study, published in the May issue of the American Psychological Association’s American Journal Of Orthopsychiatry, concluded that having divorced parents increased the chance of adult suicide attempts by 14 percent.

Of those questioned, more than 13,000 participants were categorized as depressed and were queried regarding emotional low point and suicide. Research indicated that the divorce of parents increased the chances of attempted suicide by 14 percent, following the control for factors of age, gender, education, and marital status.

State by Dr. Alonzo, “...it has been suggested that negative childhood experiences that include perceptions of rejection or neglect, such as a parent leaving the household as a result of divorce, may lead to disrupted adult attachment, poor interpersonal relations, and feeling unwanted as an adult."

The study also revealed a connection between parental abuse and alcohol, and how it independently had an impact of increasing the likelihood of attempted suicide by 85 percent.

As may as 30,000 suicides have occurred in the United States over the past twenty years, and this new information may be key in targeting treatment and prevention efforts involving victims of divorce.

The presence of divorce is traumatic for all members of the family. Therefore, a greater understanding of the far-reaching long-term effects are crucial. If you are going through a divorce, please seek the expert assistance of a qualified Illinois family law attorney today.