The positive OR negative impact (not both) of one area of adolescent development on one area of adolescent life. Or the positive OR negative impact (not both) of one area of adolescent life on one area of adolescent development.

The Negative Effects of Parental Divorce on the Adolescents’ Social Life Development Author’s Name The Institutional Affiliation Course Number and Name Instructor Name Assignment Due Date Introduction The age of adolescence is marked with various changes manifested in the form of various forms of development at cognitive, social, and physical development; in the domain of the social development of an adolescent, this age shapes their social identity. The term social life of an adolescent entails expanding an adolescent life from the domestic sphere to the broader social sphere. This social life is characterized by greater time spent on outside gatherings and less time spent with family; moreover, developing strong social relationships outside the family is another important aspect of an adolescent’s social life (OASH, 2024). More importantly, social life also involves forming a unique social identity and adapting life to play more important and complex social roles, requiring greater emotional and physical abilities and academic skills to help adolescents navigate this path (OASH, 2024). The formation of this social identity results from multiple factors, including socioeconomic status, family composition, parental education, and engagement of parents with their children (Alderman et al., 2019). Based on Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development, this is the most confusing state of development, and parental divorce can significantly deteriorate identity formation (Syed & McLean, 2017). Since adolescents’ social development is mainly linked to their engagement, attachment, and love with their parents, an undesirable event in their parents’ lives, such as divorce, can drastically affect their social development trajectory (D’Onofrio & Emery, 2019). Scholars have identified both long-term and short-term effects of parental divorce on an adolescent’s social development with specific reference to psychosocial behavioral patterns. One of the prominent effects that parental divorce produces on adolescents is academic decline; moreover, at the social level, an adolescent may develop disruptive and anti-social behavioral patterns. Likewise, indulgence in risky sexual behavior is another visible undesirable social trait that such young children experience after experiencing parental divorce (D’Onofrio & Emery, 2019). These clear indicators of social decline in adolescents after their parents’ separation reinforce the thesis that, in most cases, parental separation negatively affects adolescents’ social lives and the development of a stable social profile. Parental Divorce and Academic Decline Parental engagement with their growing children’s academic activities is integral to their successful academic output. Based on Bowlby’s theory of attachment, during the time of adolescence, children strengthen and diversify their relationship and attachment with their parents, expanding from the domestic environment to the outside world (Nelson, 2009). This attachment between parents and adolescents helps the latter to adjust to various new life experiences. Therefore, in the academic domain, parental divorce causes multiple psychological issues, contributing to an adolescent’s academic decline (Størksen et al., 2006). The psychological issues impede children’s ability to concentrate on their educational goals. Parental separation is one of the drastic life events for a growing child; hence, it creates various negative thoughts in them that deteriorate their cognitive development, leading to poor academic performance and higher rates of dropouts. According to one scholarly study, parental divorce generates acute feelings of guilt, shame, and even depression; moreover, the development of acute to intense symptoms of anxiety is also a common phenomenon in the children of divorced parents (Størksen et al., 2006). The distress that results from the collective effect of these psychological issues significantly impairs the cognitive development of these children (Brand, 2019). This stress is the direct cause of loss of interest in education in adolescents. Another important aspect of parental divorce that significantly influences adolescents’ decisions about their education is the economic challenges arising after parental separation. In most cases, parental divorce creates the family’s financial instability, especially in cases when the mother gets children’s custody (Lansford, 2009). The financial and social transition after divorce negatively affects a child’s academic journey as frequent absence from school, inability to incur resources to continue their education, and disillusionment resulting from the social aspect of divorce thwart an adolescent’s ambitious plans about their study (Lansford, 2009). This aspect further highlights the inverse relationship between parental divorce and an adolescent’s academic progress. Parental separation creates many negative effects on children that span various domains of their social life. The separation either entirely or partially lifts the parental cover, protection, and supervision over their social life; resultantly, they become susceptible to indulging in hazardous behaviors that affect their social and physiological profile (Kalmijn, 2024). Studies have found that the proportion of substance abuse and alcoholism is much higher in adolescents who lack parental supervision of their social life and activities (Alderman et al., 2019). Excessive indulgence in risky behavior makes adolescents vulnerable and easy targets for chronic health conditions; resultantly, the college dropout ratio is much higher in such adolescents (Alderman et al., 2019). This effect of parental separation further signifies the direct effect of parental divorce on adolescent’s academic life, which is a crucial aspect of the...