Relationships Quick Answers
How are infants affected by divorce?
Infants do not understand divorce. However, infants are
affected by changes in their parents' feelings and
behavior. Infants do pick up on adults' emotions and
respond to them. Following a divorce, parents may become
temporarily depressed and less responsive to their
infant. Young infants do not have much control over
their own emotions. Their feelings are influenced by
their parents' feelings. When a parent acts worried or
sad around an infant, the infant is likely to feel
worried or sad. Infants cannot tell adults how they
feel, so adults must interpret infants' behavior.
Infants may act more fussy and difficult to comfort, or
seem uninterested in people or things when their parents
are upset.
Source: Kim Leon, Ph.D., Former Human Development and Family Studies, College of Human Environmental Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia
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Last update: Wednesday, August 20, 2008
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