A 2021 study into the stress of taking a divorce to court has found the following effects on children:
- Parental separation can be highly stressful for children and can have a big impact on their lives. For some, this impact can last into adulthood.
- Children often feel left in the dark about what is happening throughout their parents’ separation. In some cases, children know more about what is going on than adults realise but they are not always given the accurate and timely information they want. Attempts by adults to hide what is going on can cause significant stress for children.
- Children overwhelmingly feel unheard in court proceedings. This causes them significant distress.
- Many children want to be more involved in decision making.
- Children may have to engage with a lot of professionals while their parents are going through separation.
A lot of this stress can be avoided by using meditation