The family environment is critical to the healthy development of a child. This is particularly the case in the early developmental stages (Bramlett & Blumberg, 2007; Fabricius & Luecken, 2007; Jenkins et al., 2005; Strohschein, 2005; Troxel & Matthews, 2004; ). This environment, to the largest extent, is determined by the adopted parenting practices coupled with the child-parent emotional bond. This environment plays a vital role in providing a child with a sense of physical as well as emotional security. Subsequently, this allows the child to develop self-regulatory skills that are vital for the child’s emotional, physical well-being. Marital conflict results in unprecedented distress in children. This is because it creates an unpleasant emotional environment in the family, threatening the children’s physical and emotional well-being (Fabricius & Luecken, 2007; Troxel & Matthews, 2004). For instance, it results in diminished emotional and physical sensitivity as well as the availability of parents. Likewise, in the face of conflict, marital dissolution is highly likely. One of the principal impacts of marital dissolution occasioned by marital discord is that it results in a drastic decline in the psychological and physical availability, especially of the noncustodial parent (Bramlett & Blumberg, 2007). It also leads to increased financial hardship as well as other stressors.
The children who are raised in homes that are characterized by marital conflict and the threatened or actual departure of one parent are at a greater risk of experiencing physical and mental health problems (Bramlett & Blumberg, 2007; Strohschein, 2005; Troxel & Matthews, 2004). This is because they are incapable of developing effective behavioral and emotional regulation skills as well as vital social competencies. There is a consensus among scholars that parental marital conflict coupled with dissolution are responsible for various negative mental health challenges in children. Examples of such issues include anxiety, hostility/aggression, suicide and depression. These behavioral and emotional problems act as independent risk factors for various chronic physical illnesses in the children’s adulthood (Fabricius & Luecken, 2007; Troxel & Matthews, 2004). Currently, due to increased cases of divorce and separation, a significant proportion of children reside in single-parent households. A substantial number of intact couples are maritally distressed. Against this background, it is essential to understand the influence of marital structure variables and process on the physical health status of the children. This is because it has unprecedented implications for public health. The issues highlighted above will significantly aid in analyzing Jessica’s case.
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Case Assessment
Children of divorce are likely to portray more cases of unintentional injuries as well as other forms of physical health vulnerabilities in comparison to those that live with their two biological parents. A decline in the social-economic status of a household before separation and divorce presents a pathway via which divorce affects the children’s health (Troxel & Matthews, 2004). Further, it has been suggested that the adolescents from divorced families are likely to experience a higher risk for the behavioral risk factors that are associated with physical health challenges. Some of these problems include sexual promiscuity, substance abuse and low educational attainment. Advances in developmental psychology have also led to the emphasis that both unhealthy and healthy development is owed to the transactional process that exists between the characteristics of an ever-changing and active organism and a changing, dynamic environment. The extent of the relationship between marital conflict and dissolution and the health of children is dependent on and moderated by many crucial contextual factors (Troxel & Matthews, 2004). Consequently, children, especially those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds or those with some form of genetically-based vulnerability are more likely to experience adverse outcomes. The latter include those suffering parental psychopathology or history of hypertension.
The biopsychosocial assessment framework can be used in the analysis of Jessica’s case ( Troxel & Matthews, 2004). From the outset, it is clear that Jessica comes from an underprivileged background having been residing in a lower middle-class neighbourhood before her parent's divorce and currently living with her grandparents. This fact is likely to increase the impact of her parent's divorce. Further, the divorce was occasioned by interpersonal violence in which her father was physically abusive to her mother. Due to this, Jessica’s emotional and physical well-being is compromised due to a decline in the physical and emotional sensitivity and availability of her parents. Following the divorce, financial stress is inevitable since Jessica, her mother and sister live with her grandparents. At the moment, Jessica lacks a father figure since her mother has full custody of both Jessica and her sister. She is also prone to various mental health issues such as anxiety, hostility/aggression, suicide and depression. Just like the case with her brother who lives with their father, Jessica is less likely to excel in school. She is also more susceptible to sexual promiscuity and substance abuse later in life.
Jessica’s change in mood and behavior such as acting out in school, deviant and argumentative behavior and withdrawal can be associated with her parent's divorce and mother’s lack of availability as she dates. This also implies that there is reduced parental monitoring, affection and communication (Troxel & Matthews, 2004. The fact that Jessica makes minimal eye contact could be a sign of anxiety, autism, opposition defiant disorder (ODD) or reactive detachment disorder. The aggression demonstrated towards the dolls can also be related to Jessica’s exposure to conflict at home. In this case, Jessica’s demonstrated hostility and aggression which can be viewed as a way of modeling her father’s behavior. In this case, besides offering to counsel, there is need to address this. Biologically, Jessica could be taking her father’s violent tendencies while psychologically she has self-esteem issues and poor social skills. She is also coping poorly with her parent's divorce. Socially, her unstable family circumstances and relationships are responsible for the challenges faced in school as well as the altered relationships with peers. Overall, the impact of these factors on her mental health cannot be overstated.
Treatment Plan
Jessica is experiencing a combination of psychological, behavioral and emotional challenges which can all be traced back to her parents divorce (Jenkins et al., 2005). Consequently, she is avoiding building relationships with her classmates and has tendencies of misbehaving. Likewise, mental health related issue such as hostility/aggression and anxiety are evident (Bramlett & Blumberg, 2007). Other possibilities include autism, ODD and reactive detachment disorder. The treatment will focus on these possibilities. The most immediate intervention in Jessica’s case is to assess her safety. This is with the aim of determining whether any subsequent intervention should take place while she is residing at her grandparents house or whether she should be moved to different location. Other possibilities include psychosocial support services offered to the family unit. These could consist of domestic or financial aid, social work or housing support. There is also the need for psychotherapeutic intervention directed at Jessica’s mother and aimed at treating any mental illness. The mother also could benefit from training on child development and basic parenting skills. If its deemed unnecessary to remove Jessica from her current home, monitoring of her safety within the present family environment is necessary. Another necessary immediate intervention is the need for comprehensive mental health assessment with the aim of identifying the specific and extent of each recognized condition. Subsequently, Jessica will be directed to the respective professionals for resolution of each condition. However, as a long-term measure, Jessica ought to be put under counselling. The involvement of Jessica’s mother throughout the process is vital. This is mainly with the aim of ensuring that she is aware of her critical role in Jessica’s life.
Therapeutic Interventions
Jessica’s therapeutic intervention could entail the use of a daily one-to-one therapy or group therapy in the company of other children. A drop-in service can also be offered where therapy takes place at scheduled times once per week. A vital component of the chosen therapy is piecing together Jessica’s problems via play therapy ( Kaduson & Schaefer, 2006) . This could be followed by devising interventions that inform her mother about the particular emotions that Jessica expresses in the established therapeutic relationship. Another intervention is the need to bring both of Jessica’s parents on board. This is with the aim of reducing the impact of their divorce on Jessica and her siblings ( Sandler et al., 2008) . In this case, it is vital for Jessica’s parents to put aside their differences for her sake. For instance, her father could work harder at maintaining neutral and regular contact. In this case, an awareness of Jessica’s feeling could prompt him to offer increased emotional support or alter any behavior that was responsible for her anguish. The latter also applies to Jessica’s mother, mainly because she is currently dating.
Resource Coordination
The resources offered to Jessica include referrals to child welfare services for assessment of her safety status; psychosocial and psychotherapeutic support services; and child development and essential parenting training services. Others are referrals to the mental health professionals, counselors and therapists. In offering these referrals, both short-term and long-term needs were considered.
Conclusion
The need for an intact family in the growth and development of children cannot be overemphasized. Marital conflict and the subsequent dissolution affect not only the partners but also the children. Of particular emphasis is the children's mental health state. In Jessica's case, it is evident that her parent's divorce is responsible for her current predicaments. The biopsychosocial assessment framework is useful in comprehensively identifying these issues. To address these problems, a combination of short-term and long-term interventions are necessar y.
References
Bramlett, M. D., & Blumberg, S. J. (2007). Family structure and children’s physical and mental health. Health affairs, 26(2), 549-558.
Fabricius, W. V., & Luecken, L. J. (2007). Postdivorce living arrangements, parent conflict, and long-term physical health correlates for children of divorce. Journal of family psychology, 21(2), 195.
Jenkins, J., Simpson, A., Dunn, J., Rasbash, J., & O'Connor, T. G. (2005). Mutual influence of marital conflict and children's behavior problems: Shared and nonshared family risks. Child development, 76(1), 24-39.
Kaduson, H. G., & Schaefer, C. E. (Eds.). (2006). Short-term play therapy for children. Guilford Press.
Sandler, I., Miles, J., Cookston, J., & Braver, S. (2008). Effects of father and mother parenting on children's mental health in high‐and low‐conflict divorces. Family Court Review, 46(2), 282-296.
Strohschein, L. (2005). Parental divorce and child mental health trajectories. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67(5), 1286-1300.
Troxel, W. M., & Matthews, K. A. (2004). What are the costs of marital conflict and dissolution to children's physical health?. Clinical child and family psychology review, 7(1), 29-57.
