When your opinion doesn’t matter: Suicidal Ideation among minors during a Divorce
What's it like for children when their family starts a legal battle over them? Unfortunately, when a family fight starts, the kids sometimes end up being the weapons. These defenseless kids have a significant chance of developing anxiety, addiction, sadness, promiscuity, a lack of interest in school, poor adjustment in general, and suicide or suicide ideation.
Families can disintegrate as a parent speaks comments that cannot be taken back and become a matter of public record. Retaliation, hatred, and rage are just a few of the many emotions that overwhelm the family environment. In addition, they can influence their children's long-term development by permeating the very air they breathe.
Why do children contemplate suicide after divorce?
As a rule, how parents choose to handle their divorce in the family, rather than the divorce itself, causes the most harm to families. The bond between parents has a direct bearing on the feelings and responses of their children.
The negative effects of stressful circumstances on mental health are getting worse.
Families need to know where to go to get the resources they need to help their kids navigate changes in the family in a secure way. In some cases, it's preferable for parents to parent separately rather than jointly. Divorce is no longer viewed merely as a failure. Instead, if the parents handle it effectively, it can be beneficial for the kids.
No one wins when an adult relationship has the potential to permanently damage a parent-child bond.
Children are often worried that things might go wrong during the transfer from one home to the other. It can be frightening, hazardous, and unclear in their world. Where homes become the battle-ground for continuous arguing about custody issues, the children suffer.
534 young people, aged 10 to 14 and 5,954 people aged 15 to 24 died by suicide in 2019, according to recent research. In addition, if the trend continues, then child and adolescent suicide rates will surpass COVID-19 fatalities.
Understanding the options available to families as they negotiate a transition in high-conflict environments against the backdrop of an uncertain time is crucial now more than ever. The suicide rate in the US is over three times higher than the homicide rate. It ranks fourth for adults aged 35 to 44 and second for those aged 10 to 24. Furthermore, divorced or separated couples have a rate that is more than twice as high as married ones.
After divorce, there is an increased risk of suicide ideation because of the Silent Parent strategy.
Once the divorce transition has started, parents often use the Silent Parent Strategy. In other words, they keep things to themselves and convince themselves that they are shielding their children from the arguments. It may be preferable for enemies to clam up and be silent. However, with families it's different. A mature and professional demeanor is always ideal for children. Therefore, parents must learn to communicate in this way, especially in a divorce.
Conclusion
Parents who want to help their children have a more successful and safe transition through a divorce can help them by learning to communicate properly, recognize the dangers, get help when needed, and listen to their children’s needs before, during and after a divorce.