Your divorce could affect more than your child’s mental health. Oftentimes, when it comes to how divorce affects children, a majority of articles focus on the mental health of a child post-separation. While this is incredibly important information to keep in mind, recent research out of Norway suggests that divorcing parents may need to consider their child’s physical health as well after a divorce.
According to the study, boys whose parents are divorced are more likely to be obese or have excessive abdominal weight than boys whose parents are married or living together. Researchers came to this conclusion after looking at height, weight and waist measurements of nearly 3,100 third graders whose parents were either married, living together but not married, or divorced.
When the children were separated into the three marital categories, researchers noticed that the weight differences among boys varied greatly depending on marital status as opposed to their female classmates in the same groups.
While the study showed that boys from divorced parents were 63 percent more likely to be obese or overweight, it’s important to point out that researchers were unable to conclude that the weight gain was caused by divorce alone. The researchers admit that there are a lot of factors which could be at play here including eating and exercising habits, family structure and emotional stresses at home.
Divorce could affect more than your child’s mental health, and perhaps the most important take-away from this study is how environmental changes can affect our children. A strong child custody and parenting plan can help to make the transition smoother while helping your child(ren) to cope with the changes of life post-divorce.
Do you have questions regarding divorce, child custody and parenting time? Protect your own interests as well as the well-being of your child(ren) and contact us or call 760-389-3927 to schedule an appointment for a remote or socially distanced consultation with one of our experienced Certified Family Law Specialists.