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Psychosomatic difficulties in children from divorced families

5. 5. 2015

If children are left with only one parent after a divorce, their health problems increase, so it is better for them if both parents take care of them. These results are shown in a Swedish study of almost 150 000 children aged 12 to 15. In Sweden, a full third of children are now affected by family breakdown, compared with only 1-2% in the 1980s.

Doctors in the study found that while family breakdown alone can have an impact on mental and ultimately somatic health, if parents can continue to share and cooperate in caring for their children, the health consequences for their children are minimal.
The study compared the health status of children after the separation or divorce of their parents' marriages for those children who stayed exclusively with one parent most of the time with those who spent roughly equal amounts of time with both parents. Children from complete families were then included in the study. All the children were attending 6th or 9th grade in elementary school.

The most common difficulties of the children were then reported as:

  • Concentration or sleep disorders
  • headaches
  • abdominal pain
  • feelings of sadness or tension
  • low appetite

Some authors add that stress may also be a cause of psychosomatic difficulties in children from divorced families. For children living in alternate care, this is compounded by the need to adjust to two different households, moving between two homes up to 50 times a year, and often having different material backgrounds. However, according to psychologists, this is balanced by the positive effect of maintaining close contact with both parents.

Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com