The Effects of Parental Separation on Students' Academic Performance in Secondary Schools

Separation and divorce is hard on everyone, most notably the children. No matter how unaffected they may act, children are hugely sensitive young people who are always affected by the separation of their parents. These effects are invariably felt most acutely in an educational setting: School is a hot bed of hormones and emotions, and as such, children reveal their true feelings most openly through their behavior and effort in school.

Behavior

While behavior may not fall directly under the heading of "academic achievement," poor behavior can lead to poorer grades. Following a parental separation, a lot of children can feel unnoticed or as if they are being put on the sidelines while their parents are distracted by their own problems. In school, the child is presented with an arena for him to gain attention back; invariably, children do this through being badly behaved. They are likely to be more aggressive and potentially get into trouble with the authorities outside of school too. This in turn will affect their academic record in terms of reputation and grades.

Emotional Upset

Children of divorce are often more anxious and sensitive, which can affect their academic performance.

Children whose parents are separated tend to be less confident than other children, as they are less secure in their support network. This fear can induce a state of anxiety in the child which can affect his academic record for various reasons, e.g., absences from school for fear of having other people leave before he returns home. When in school, children of divorce may be more easily upset and are generally more sensitive on a daily basis. Low self-esteem and depression are also common symptoms of a child whose parents are separated, and she should be supported accordingly to limit academic problems.

Grades

Your child's grades can reflect his problems but the whole picture must be considered.

Children of divorce are well known to achieve less than their nondivorce counterparts. Their grades through classwork, homework and standardized tests are most likely to demonstrate this fact. However, their teacher's report may reflect a different story and this can be because the teacher and parents tend to underestimate the full extent of the problems being endured by the children. It is vital to monitor the child's progress in a holistic way to assess all factors of their progress.

Social Interaction

Isolation can hamper the academic performance of a child due to his inability to trust people.

An obvious side effect of parental separation is the child's concern that he will be left by other people. This isolation-based anxiety is induced by the sudden absence of a parent on a full-time or intermittent basis. Children who have separated or divorced parents are more likely to have difficult interacting socially with peers, siblings, teachers and other adults. This is due to their innate fear that these people will also disappear. Adolescents are also more likely to be sexually active younger, and with more partners as well. These sorts of negative social interactions can deeply affect the child's academic performance.

References

• At Health: Divorce and Children; 2010