The Impact of Divorce on Children Living Conditions and Behaviors: A study on a Sample of Divorcees in Jordan

Background and Objectives. Divorce is known to have tremendous negative impacts on children. These impacts are detrimental to the development of children and their standards of living. Globally this topic is well research, while in our region still it needs more investigation and interventions. Therefore, the current research investigates the consequences of divorce on children and their mothers. It responds to the following questions, (a) Does divorce impact the daily living arrangement of divorced mothers and their children?, (b) Does mothers’ divorce impact the social behavior of their children? And (c) Does divorce impact the living standards of mothers’ and their children? Methodology. The population of the study was divorced men and women in Jordan at the time of data collection. The sample of the study consisted of 400 participants (divorced men and women). Data were collected through interviews conducted by professional and trained researchers using a questionnaire which was designed as a main tool for the study. Results. Finding of the study show that children are severely impacted by divorce. They daily life was interrupted, they living arrangement was altered, their level of education was lowered. In addition, they experience psychological and emotional and social problems. Conclusions. The findings of the study contributed to the international research finding from various regions in the world and through decades of research that divorce is a highly stressor for children in their present and future life. Precautious measures and interventions should be used to mitigate the negative impact of divorce on children. Recommendations. Further investigation using children samples is proposed, with the intention of developing evidence-based intervention to counter the negative impact of divorce and to help children and their mothers (and fathers) to better adjust and cope with the consequences of divorce.