Parental High Conflict and the Impact on Children
Posted on 1 March 2023
Geoff Munce
Parental High Conflict and the impact on children
Parental high conflict is a situation where parents are constantly engaged in arguments or disagreements about anything from financial issues to co-parenting children. Conflict becomes even more of a risk between parties when separation occurs. With the additional stress of how you are going to co-parent, divide your property, or at worse commence court proceedings, conflict often increases. In these situations, disputes can become so severe that there is no communication between parents at all.
Exposure to high parental conflict can have a long-lasting effect on a child’s emotional and psychological well-being. These effects are listed below:
- Children who have experienced high-conflict situations can develop anxiety and high levels of stress. Situations of conflict may lead children to feel powerless to stop the conflict or to help their parents resolve the issues. This stress can lead to physical symptoms such as headaches, stomachaches, and difficulties sleeping which can interfere with a child’s overall health and well-being.
- Children may also become withdrawn, and depressed, and they may find it difficult to form healthy relationships with others.
- Children may experience difficulties in regulating their emotions, low impulse control, aggression, and other behavioural issues.
- Children may have a distorted view of what a healthy relationship is. As a result, their view may be domestic violent behaviour is a norm or they may go the way and avoid any conflict whatsoever.
- Education can be affected. Children may have trouble concentrating or catching up on their schoolwork because they are just physically or mentally unable to cope.
It is important that parents are aware of the impact high conflict can have on their children. When considering how you and the other parent communicate it is important to make decisions that are child-focused; having their best interests in mind. If the communication is not healthy then you may want to seek professional help. In addition to counselling to improve your communication, using a lawyer to negotiate final property or/and parenting matters can reduce the conflict. It will give you time to reflect and not be engaged in the fight directly.
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