Suppose Dr. Phil comes to you and tells you that many of the parents in his television audience are crying out for information on whether they should get a divorce or stay together for the sake of the children. His basic question is the following: When a marriage is not going well, is it better for the children if the parents get a divorce or if they stay together?

Suppose Dr. Phil comes to you and tells you that many of the parents in his television audience are crying out for information on whether they should get a divorce or stay together for the sake of the children. His basic question is the following: When a marriage is not going well, is it better for the children if the parents get a divorce or if they stay together?

As background for this television show, Dr. Phil asks you to give him a research-based review of the literature. He asks you to provide him with some information on the following:
the effects of divorce on children
the effects on children of living in a two-parent home in which the parents’ marriage is of low quality
which factors need to be considered when comparing the two different options
For the purposes of this assignment, consider children between the ages of 6 and 10 (school age).

Finally, based on what you found out from your review of the literature, he asks you to take a position on which of the following is best for children in poor quality marriages:
The parents divorce.
The parents stay together for the sake of the children.
Dr. Phil intends to use your position to help him decide what to tell his television audience about whether they should get a divorce.

Your task is to write a paper that satisfies Dr. Phil’s request. As a psychologist, Dr. Phil has specifically asked that you base your position on research evidence, not your own opinions, feelings, or experiences. Make sure that you are very clear and explicit regarding exactly what advice you would give to Dr. Phil regarding what he should tell his television audience. Try not to let your own personal opinions and attitudes influence the advice you give to Dr. Phil.

Carefully and thoroughly document your position with reference to relevant research. Also consider what school-age children between the ages of 6 and 10 years are experiencing developmentally during this period of time. However, some of the information you will find may just refer to children in general (and not children of a particular age). Feel free to use that information.