Divorce rates are high in the United States, with a recent study indicating that as many as 46 percent of all teens between the ages of 15 and 17 years old do not live in homes with both biological parents. They are sometimes in single-parent homes, and others are either in foster care or living with parents who are not both biologically related to them. An example is a teen that lives with his or her biological mother and a man she married after the divorce.
However, the study also showed that the majority of teens in North Dakota actually do not face divorce while they are growing up. Fifty-three percent of the teens in North Dakota were raised by both biological parents, which ranks the state at fifth in the nation. Some other states, such as Minnesota – with 56 percent – do rank higher, but these are clearly not the norm.
That being said, it is still true that nearly half of all of the teens in the state are raised in homes where divorce has taken place. Researchers came down on both sides of this issue as far as how they felt that would impact the children, with some saying that there could be a drastic negative impact and others saying that outside factors and other relationships played such a huge role that teens in any living situation could thrive.
When a divorce takes place, though, it is undeniable that it will have some impact on the children, even those who deal with it very well. This is why the parents need to seek a legal resolution to the issue that takes into account what is best for their children, looking at issues like child custody, child support, relocation options and more.
Source: In Forum, “Study: Most ND, Minn. teens raised by biological parents” Ryan Johnson, Apr. 07, 2014
