A new study has found that parents who are divorced tend to be more disengaged from their children. Divorce rates among families in the US have always been said to be high, and while some may think that the ideal family situation for children is two parents that are married, it is not always that simple. Relationships end for a multitude of reasons, and some may make the argument that children are “better off” being parented by two parents who are happier apart than in a home that feels tense. What always has mattered is how divorced parents treat their children.

According to PsyPost, a new study has shown that parents who are divorced are not only more disengaged with their children, they also tend to adapt to harsher parenting styles. The study was published in Personality and Individual Differences and can be read in full here.

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The study was done on 681 adolescents in Beijing, China. They were split into two groups; 237 participants were from divorced families and 444 participants were from families considered intact. They then used a questionnaire to see what the children’s perceptions of “warmth and control” were.

•The results were that children who were from divorced families viewed their parents as being more disengaged from them and were criticized for being highly harsh on them.

•Children who had parents who were still married said that their parents were more supportive of them and were not that harsh in their parenting styles.

The researchers said that there was something important to remember with this study. This study simply showed the children’s perceptions of their parents and did not mean that these parents were intentionally causing emotional harm to their children.

It may serve as a good reminder for all parents to be mindful of how they are presenting themselves to their children.

The study also wanted to look at how lonely children feel depending on their family situation, and they found that when a parent had a warm attitude, the children did not report feeling as lonely. This is something that would be expected.

The researchers said that more studies would need to be done to look into loneliness more and what factors are directly at play when it comes to determining why a child may feel lonely in their home. These studies are always important to make sure that mom and dad can find the right parenting style for them.

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Sources: PsyPost, Science Direct