Do Genes Explain the Different Ways Children Respond to Divorce?

According to a new study on children and the effects of divorce, there really is no way of knowing whether or not your child will be negatively or positively affected by the split. The results of all research projects have been somewhat randomized. Some kids are unaffected by their parent’s separations, while others are devastated and respond negatively. Scientists have simply declared that divorce will have varying effects on children. Most researchers agree that parents that stay together and have happy homes raise the best children.

Yet kids that have to go through divorce may be affected negatively or positively based on their genes. A study by Esther Nederhof recently concluded that dopamine genes may have something to do with a child’s emotional stability during a split. Some aggressive children or those who are anti-social are simply acting on natural, instinctive behaviors that were instilled in them from the genes that they inherited from their parents.

The scientists told The Huffington Post that there are times that children carry a genetic liability which will cause them to go into a depressed or anti-social state when their parents split. The children who don’t carry these same genes were not nearly as likely to have violent or hyper-emotional issues post-divorce. Boys are more commonly anti-social after divorce than girls, but girls with dopamine genes did display a heightened potential for anti-social behavior.

While you probably don’t need to get your child’s genes tested before divorce, this genetic understanding of a child’s emotions may help you to handle your child’s reaction. If you are planning on getting a divorce, then talk to a divorce attorney at our firm to take care of the legal details for you. Wirth our aid, you can focus on the emotional responsibilities that come with your divorce while we take care of the paperwork and legal implications.