Children may experience changes in behavior in the year following a divorce. It can be easy to overlook childrens sadness when parents are struggling to manage their own difficult emotions. Babies and toddlers dont have the words to express their feelings. They may show their distress and confusion in other ways.
How does divorce affect a toddler?
Effects of Divorce on Toddlers They may cry and want more attention than usual, regress and return to thumb sucking, resist toilet training, have a fear of being abandoned, or have trouble going to sleep or sleeping alone at night.
How can separation and divorce affect a child emotionally?
Following their parents separation, children may regress, display anxiety and depressive symptoms, appear more irritable, demanding and noncompliant, and experience problems in social relationships and school performance (5).
How does divorce separation affect infants?
Following a divorce, parents might become temporarily depressed, have less energy and be less responsive to their infant. Young infants do not have much control over their emotions, which are influenced by their parents feelings. When a parent acts worried or sad, their infant is likely to mirror those feelings.
Does a 2 year old understand divorce?
Most of all, young children need to know that their people will be there for them, no matter what. Babies as young as 3 months old are affected by parents emotions. Although divorce can be a healthy decision for families, young children dont have any perspective for making sense of this major change.
How does separation affect a 2 year old?
Babies or toddlers who have lived for months or years with two loving and attentive parents may react to divorce by: becoming more fussy or inconsolable when one parent is suddenly no longer around. becoming more clingy or insecure around the parent they live with or around new people.
How long does separation anxiety last in 2 year olds?
For most kids, separation anxiety sets in between 8 and 12 months of age and fizzles out around age 3.