Dykeman Article Essay

Imagine studying divorce and the effects it has upon children. These kids act out as a result of aggression for many reasons, which include guilt, attention from the parents, and the inability to maintain a long-term relationship. They have lifelong issues, and do require some form of counseling, whether it is in the school or with social services in their state. According to the article, these youngsters and parents were subjects in a study to help determine how to help them through this transition in their life, and to help them become high functioning both in the school and home. What was found in the article is quite significant. According to an article in Newsweek, Peg Tyre believed that children, â€Å"feel strongly and intensely that their parents are polar opposites, even if they don’t fight. They feel they must take care of their parents rather than be taken care of. They feel loss and anger. They also feel their spiritual life is damaged because God’s image as a parent is painful for them† (2005). Dykeman agreed by saying that divorce effects a child’s emotional well-being and self-esteem as well can give them anxiety, depression, guilt, and at times aggression (2003). However, Heubusch says in regards to Stewarts study, â€Å"But it’s particularly damaging for children under age 9, and for children who are drawn directly into the hostility. There is a very direct relationship between children’s psychological well-being and that of their parents. When separation and divorce enhance parents’ well-being in very straightforward and direct ways, it’s reasonable to expect that children will benefit from the improvement† (1998). In regards to the research finding presented in the article, they are worth noting as well. Here is what they found. One, pre-referral intervention reduces the quantity of students put into a special education class for aggressiveness. Two, the school counselor plays a vital role in helping these students and families with coping in regards to divorce. Three, conflict theory is important in handling out aggression in children, who are going through divorce because it can help with problem solving skills, few incidents of hostility, and home behavior effects school behavior (Dykeman, 2003). However during the study, the researchers found that the child had more reasoning during that time period, according to â€Å"t(14) = 4. 294, p < . 01† (Dykeman, 2003). Another is that the child learned is that a decrease in verbal aggression as seen with â€Å"t(14) = 3. 623, p < . 01† (Dykeman, 2003). The researcher did experience limitations and assumptions with the study as it relates to statistics. Some limitations include that the researchers were not able to follow up as frequently after six months, such as a monthly basis. However, a decrease was found amongst the six month treatment to follow up in regards to verbal aggression by 3. 87, whereas prior it was 4. 87 times (Dykeman, 2003). Another significant finding is that prior to treatment, the child used physical aggression 1. 73 times, but afterwards, during the follow up, it was 1. 33 times. Another, is that teachers and researchers are subjective in their viewpoint, which can show up in a study as well. All students were required to partipate in their first semester of the school year. Many of them completed intervention within two months, but by the end of the school time had much improvement, which was seen by a 5. 40, and indicates improvement by â€Å"p < . 05† (Dykeman, 2003). The researchers, then assumed, that an â€Å"increased use of reasoning and reduced use of verbal aggression corresponded to improved behaviors in the classroom† (Dykeman, 2003). Another investigator also agrees with this issue by saying, â€Å"Most felt that they should have been consulted about visitation and dual residence decisions during the divorce† (Siatis, 1997). This study showed that making assumptions about what has happened in a child’s life are at times beneficial because it helps them study in more depth ways to help them through their ordeal. The individuals can become subjective, but in their study, it showed a lot of objectivity, and what Dykeman did actually worked both for the children and school setting by teaching them the necessary skills possible to cope with their divorce situation in the home. Last, no evidence is shown of the parents involvement with their children because they too would have impacted the study on how they have coped, whether it was positive or negative. All the reader finds out is about mainly the researchers and the teachers. This too can hinder the results of a study by not including everyone that had a part in the family, who was going through the divorce. Children learn best when taught ways to cope with divorce. The Dyekman study proves that it can occur, especially with pre-treatment and follow up. These individuals were taught ways to reason, which was probably changing their negative thinking to positive at the time too. The students’ teachers were also involved by giving observations in the classroom in regards to improvement or not, which also made a difference in how he or she completed their school work, and acted in the home, which is an excellent positive result. This gave the study a third party involved in monitoring the behavior of the kids, which made an optimistic outcome for everyone involved. References Dykeman, B. F. (March 2003). The Effects of Family Conflict Resolution on Children’s Classroom Behavior. Journal of Instructional Psychology . Heubusch, K. (1998, January). Divorced From Reality. Retrieved February 2009, 23, from Gale: Siatis, P. C. (1997, Augusst). Divorce Has Lasting Effects on Children, Study Says. Retrieved February 2009, 23, from Gale Group: . Tyre, P. (2005, October 24). Fast Chat: The Secret Pain of Divorce. Retrieved February 23, 2009, from Gale: http://find. galegroup. com/ips/start. do? prodId=IPS