Parents going through divorce still want what is best for their children no matter what. This includes doing whatever they can to alleviate the stress of the split.
One good way to do that is through the custody options chosen. Joint custody is one potential choice that could do a child of divorce a lot of good.
Mental health and joint custody
Psychology Today talks about the impact of joint custody. Generally speaking, joint custody allows for both parents to share legal custody over their child. Sometimes it can include joint physical custody too, but many parents find this difficult to carry out well due to different housing situations.
Joint custody offers many potential benefits, as studies have shown. These studies report that children of joint custody typically report fewer instances of stress based disorders, anxiety or depression as a result of their parent’s divorce. The reports that do come in tend to seem lower key, too.
Better coping mechanisms
On top of that, children of joint custody seem to develop better coping mechanisms that last into adulthood. This typically translates to fewer struggles with addiction and better relationships with other people. In childhood, it often equates to fewer instances of lashing out at peers and less conflict with authority figures. As adults, it manifests in improvements to both platonic and romantic relationships.
Of course, it is impossible to predict how divorce will affect anyone on a mental level. But studies back up joint custody as a good potential option when it comes to limiting the damage that children will psychologically and emotionally have to deal with.
