A major impact of divorce is on the parent-child relationship. The quantity and quality of contact between children and non-custodial parents usually fathers-tend to decrease and the relationship with the custodial parent-usually the mother shows signs of tension. Children who are left in a guilty conscience in the post-divorce period especially if they are a frequent witness to the parent’s feuds. They are left thinking about what is that they did to cause the divorce. Moreover, in older age groups the assumption of hyper-maturity is also common as children often assume the tasks of adults to stabilize the custodial parent’s household.

Children learn how to relate to others by watching their parents relate to each other. Divorce gives them an unconscious notion of not trusting their mates.

The parents constantly interact with the child and let him/her know the separation in the family. This will basically maintain their trust in the parents. Interaction further depends upon the age of the child. For toddlers, schoolgoers sharing general information is appropriate while with adolescents there must be greater details shared as to what exactly are the reason for the divorce, etc

During legal disputes arising from divorce advocate in Delhi, the child may be exposed to manipulation, anger, or rejection by one or both parents.

1. The child is used as a means of depriving a parent of affection in retaliation for the deprivation of affection that the other parent experienced.

2. The child is used as a means of insuring continued attachment to the divorced spouse.

3. Total allegiance to one parent is demanded with the concurrent total rejection of the other so that the child becomes the weakened puppet of parental needs.

4. The child is used as a direct hostage for payment of money or services.

In an article by Shannon Philpot titled The Effect of Divorce parents on a Childs Future Relationship, she states, ‘ studies indicate that daughters of divorced parents have a 60- percent higher divorce rate in marriages than children of non-divorced parents, and sons have a 35 percent higher divorce rate’. Warren Bowles III states in his article titled Effects of Parental Divorce on Adult Relationships, “children who grow up in divorced homes typically have less contact with the non-custodial parent and as time goes on the parent-child relationship seems to further deteriorate. This leaves a gap in the parental model that serves as the relationship template for all future relationships in life.

Thus there are myriad factors sprouting from a divorce that affect the emotional and physical well-being of a child and it is imperative to cater to those needs with proper understanding to facilitate such a major transition in the life of a child.