Florida residents can probably recall a situation or story in which a teen or young adult has acted out in a criminal fashion. Sometimes, when explaining the trouble caused or crime committed, a report will mention that the person in question is a child of divorce. Many people have been under the common misconception that solely having one's parents divorce can directly cause a teen or young adult to break the law.
A new study undertaken by Florida State University set forth to separate the facts from the fiction. After many painstaking hours of research, a new theory arose. During this particular study, researchers found that, contrary to popular belief, divorce by itself does not often cause lasting effects into adolescence and adulthood.
Rather, the study showed that, while certainly there is an adjustment period immediately following the divorce of one's parents, a divorce usually has little to no lasting effect on a person. The study, which began in 1994, concluded after many years of research that children whose parents divorce are not at a social or intellectual disadvantage to peers that are not raised in a family where parental divorce has occurred. This study may help parents make a more informed decision as they consider divorce and what's best for any children involved.
Sometimes, parents may worry that, if they get a divorce, they should not take action because doing so may harm their children in the long run. Fortunately, in most cases, this is not true, and a parent may decide to file for divorce for the same reasons a person with no children would file. If a parent decides to take steps to begin divorce proceedings, an experienced attorney may be able to help streamline the process and alleviate some of the stress on a parent throughout the legal process.