Children of divorced parents are more likely to smoke

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Kids Whose Parents Got Divorced are More Likely to Start Smoking

An increasing number of married couples decide to get an easy divorce instead of working hard to fix their troubled marriages. Unfortunately, you probably know more divorced people or those, who aren’t happy in their marital relationships and thus think about ending them, than those who are happily married. For this very reason, a lot of studies have been conducted in this area to find out what kind of negative effects divorce has on kids. The studies revealed that, on top of everything else, there is a link between parental divorce and smoking among children.

What a University of Toronto Study Has Shown

It is no secret that parents have a great influence on their kids’ behavior. And in 2013, a U of T study has shown that those whose parents live separately are more likely to start smoking. According to the received data, odds of smoking are 48% higher for male kids and 39% higher for females of divorced parents than for those whose parents are together.

The received results lead university staff to think about the negative effects of divorce on children’s health since smoking may cause a lot of health issues, including obstructive lung and heart diseases. It remains unclear exactly why these children start smoking and thus more research should be made. Nevertheless, there are a few theories to consider.

Some researchers believe that children turn to cigarettes as an effective way to fight their stress. Let us say, a dose of nicotine contained in one cigarette needs no more than 10 seconds to reach smokers’ brains. Therefore, a pull at a cigarette can improve smokers’ mood and reduce their anger and muscle tension in a matter of seconds.

The received results have also shown that male kids of divorced parents are 25% more likely to become long-term smokers than sons of married parents. However, we cannot say the same about female kids. This can be explained by the fact that men are more vulnerable, and it has also been proved that male kids whose parents are separated are more likely to have suicidal thoughts, use drugs, drink heavily, and get depressed. The received results are a serious health concern, particularly at that time when an increasing number of kids suffer from parental divorce.

Getting Divorced or Staying in an Unhappy Marriage?

If you and your spouse are no longer happy together, it doesn’t make any sense to sacrifice your happiness and pretend like nothing is going on. You should understand that staying in an unhappy marriage and leading a cat and dog life with your spouse will only make your kids try cigarettes faster. Therefore, if you and your former love are no longer willing to share space while being concerned about your kids’ wellbeing, it is time to start looking for divorce help online and think over effective ways to protect your kids from the damaging effects of your breakup. Below, there are some tips to consider:

Tell your children about your decision. If you and your spouse are about to land onlinedivorcer.com to get your divorce package prepared for you, think about how you will explain your decision to your little ones. When doing this, make sure you blame neither them nor each other for what has happened to your relationship.

Don’t let your kids overhear your fighting. When your marriage is falling apart, it is hard to stay cool. When your emotions are running high, you and your spouse are very likely to start quarreling. In such situations, make sure your kids cannot overhear your raised voices. Otherwise, your children may feel like their careless childhood turns into an utter horror – where there is no room for love and regard but conflict and depression.

Take care of your children’s wellbeing. Even though the romance between you and your soon-to-be ex-spouse is over, you two remain parents to your common kids. Both of you should do your best to build a strong co-parenting relationship with each other so that you two can perform your parental duties as is right and proper. When defending your interests, don’t forget about your kids’ needs, both emotional and physical. It is reported that children have a happier life if they maintain healthy relationships with both their mom and dad.

Kids shouldn’t know about the real cost of your divorce. No matter how much money your couple pays for the obtained divorce help, your children shouldn’t know the exact numbers. The harder your case, the more you will have to pay to resolve it. And your every fight can potentially increase the overall cost of your divorce. If it is a great sum of money we are talking about, make sure your kids don’t know about it; otherwise, you are at risk to lose their respect for your unwillingness to settle your matters without the need to lose your shirt.

Don’t hurry to introduce your new flame to your little ones. There is no need to tell your kids about your new romance too soon. Just think about the emotional trauma that they have recently experienced. Perhaps, they are not ready yet to let a new person into their life, house, etc. If your new partner has his or her kids too, then it will be more difficult for your little ones to wake up to the fact that they will have stepsiblings in addition to a stepmom or stepdad. For this very reason, your kids should adjust to a new family structure first and only then be introduced to your new interest.

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