Two out of five children will experience their parents' divorce before they reach eighteen (D. Matthews). Research suggests that divorce harms children and affects their development in a variety of ways. Research also suggests that divorce has both short- and long-term effects on children. This article will focus on the history of divorce in our society and current statistics, how divorce affects the level of trust in family and social relationships, and how divorce creates an unhealthy state of confusion in children/adolescents. Divorce statistics are continually growing. The 1970s were a time when divorce rates were high. Information gathered in a study on the long-term effects of divorce on children states that divorce rates grew by 70% in the United States from 1970 to 1977. The facts in the study on the long-term effects show that the reality of divorce today is that 2 out of 5 children will experience divorce before reaching the age of 18, approximately 25% of children will spend some time in a reconstituted family and there are approximately 1,250,000 divorces per year (D. Matthews). What is certain is that divorce affects children. Trust and relationships are affected by parental divorce. The definition of trust is the belief that someone or something is trustworthy; a dependence on something future. Divorce affects your level of trust and can change how trust is managed in relationships. Trust falters when the child loses the security of both parents living together, and girls and boys react differently to divorce. “Girls crave love and attention and fear abandonment, and are prone to both desire and anxiety” (Fagan & Churchill). It is challenging for girls to make decisions about marriage and they ... middle of paper ... find ways to support children of divorce and help support healthy trusting relationships and decrease the confusion children feel. Children are the most vulnerable in divorce and it is important to support them. Works Cited Cameron, Leah “of Divorce, The possible negative emotional and psychological consequences in children” ESSAI: vol. 6, article 15. http://dc.cod.edu/essai/vol6/issl/15.Debord, Karen. “The Effects of Divorce on Children.” Focus on the children. ndWeb. April 16, 2014. Fagan, Patrick R. and Churchill, Aaron “Marri Research Research Sythesis” The Effects of Divorce on Children. January 2012. Web. April 16, 2014 Matthews, Wayne D. "Divorce on Children" Ces.ncsu.edu March 5, 2011, Web March 2, 2014 Pickhardt Carl "The Impact of Divorce on Young Children and Adolescents" Surviving (YourChilds) Adolescence. December 19, 2011. Web. April 16 2014.