RJA #11a: Introduction

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 2,244,000 marriages were recorded in the United States in 1998, and during this same year, more than 50% or 1,135,000 marriages ended in divorce. This divorce rate excludes data from four states (California, Colorado, Indiana and Louisiana) and there is no record of the divorce rates after 1998. To fully understand the true implications of this divorce rate, you must first understand the meaning of the term divorce. Divorce can be defined as “a complete or radical severance of closely connected things” and “to cut off; separate or disunite.” Technically this definition applies to husband and wife, but realistically this definition could apply to their children. As a result of a divorce, a “radical severance of [a child's] closely connected things” can include the child's home and the way child's life as he/she knows it. A change like this can be a very traumatic experience for a child. As with most traumas, negative effects can ensue. Children can carry the negative effects from their parents' divorce into adulthood.