The decision between a husband and wife to end their marriage due to irreconcilable differences has become an issue of epidemic proportions in the world today. Divorce affects people of all ages, from the oldest to the youngest, tearing families apart. While a divorcing husband and wife are ending what many of them once thought was the best thing that would ever happen to them, it is their children who will reap the gravest consequences. Children who were once cared for by both parents must adjust to living with one parent or move back and forth between the two along with numerous other adjustments. The effects of divorce are not limited to just practical adjustments, but research also indicates that children who face parental divorce also experience physical and psychological problems. According to recent research, if current divorce rates remain stable, one in four children will divorce their parents before they turn sixteen (Doweling & Gorell-Barnes, 1999). Another statistic shows that between 1972 and 1997 more than one million children were involved in divorce each year (Zinsmeister, 1997). In our society, which is experiencing divorce so rampantly, it is critical to understand through research and observation the effects divorce has on children. The effects of divorce on children have been a matter of great controversy among professionals and parents. The research is inconclusive in many areas, but enough evidence has been gathered to conclude that divorce does indeed impact children. The effects of divorce, the impact of divorce on a child and its duration, depend largely on the age of the child when expressing... middle of paper... what a child may experience after a family breakup ( Jost & Robinson, 1991). Although the research presented here has focused on the negative effects that divorce has on children, there are cases in which children are unlikely to experience negative effects from divorce. This is usually the case when the child's parents are in an abusive relationship or are able to continue a healthy relationship with both parents. Unfortunately, this is the exception and not the rule for children dealing with divorce. Although there are different opinions regarding the effects of divorce on children, most researchers agree that having married parents offers many advantages to children. These include, but are not limited to, a higher standard of living, exposure to effective parenting, less stress overall, and a greater likelihood of success in school (McGuiness, 2006).