Divorce is frequent in our society. It is a “marker” of high stress periods that precede and follow it. The events surrounding it have clear negative effects on the physical and mental health of all those involved. The issues and the reactions, different for fathers and mothers and for children, are determined by the sex and developmental stage. The effects are interactive and events subsequent to the divorce influence the restoration of competent functioning. This paper examines these differential effects, methods of helping in the resolution process and opportunities of preventive work with this high risk population.
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