Divorce – how to make it easier for children?

Posljednjih nekoliko godina sve je veća stopa razvoda braka, a samim time i sve više jednoroditeljskih obitelji. Razvod braka jedno je bolno i složeno iskustvo te jedan od stresnijih događaja s kojim se obitelj može suočiti. Osim roditelja, s obiteljskim promjenama suočavaju se i djeca koja su često izložena roditeljskim sukobima i svađama te roditelji nerijetko svojim manipulativnim ponašanjem, upravo djecu koriste kao oruđe kako bi „pobijedili“ svog partnera. Djeca se u procesu razvoda braka smatraju izrazito ranjivom skupinom zbog čega im je u takvim situacijama potrebno pristupiti sa puno razumijevanja, strpljenja i pristupačnosti. Cilj ovog završnog rada je ukratko prikazati kako djeca reagiraju na razvod roditelja te ukazati na važnost roditeljske podrške i zaštitu najboljeg interesa djeteta.In the past few years, the number marriages which end in divorce has been an increasing trend. Consequentially, single – parent families are becoming quite a usual sight nowadays. Dissolution of marriage often represents a painful and complex experience and stands for one of the highly stressful events for the entire family. Besides parents, children are the one saffected with the newly introduced changes as well. They are exposed to unpleasant parental conflicts and are likely to be used as a tool in the manipulative behaviour of either the mother, or the father, in order to win an argument. During the process of divorce, children are thought to belong to a deeply vulnarable group and are, therefore, expected to be treated with plenty of understanding, patience and acceptance. The aim of this final thesis is to provide an overview of the reactions which divorce elicits in a child. Furthermore, the study points out on the importance of the parental support and the protection of child's well being during this uneasy period