Roughly three-quarters of a million couples in this country decided to end their relationships in 2019, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. New research suggests that children of divorced or separated parents are more likely to suffer mental health problems if they witness their parents arguing. In the new study, published in the journal Child Development, researchers at Arizona State University surveyed 559 children aged nine to 18 about their exposure to their parents arguing. Researchers asked the children whether their parents fought in front of them, spoke poorly of the other parent, or asked them to carry messages to the other parent. Kids who witnessed their parents fighting were more worried about being abandoned by one or both parents. These feelings remained for three months. And these children were more likely to experience mental health problems ten months later. These issues were worst for the children who had a close relationship with their fathers.

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