Family; It is considered the smallest social structure unit in society and is formed by the legal, religious or cultural coming together of two people. For the child, the family constitutes the first environment in which he interacts. Healthy or unhealthy environmental conditions within the family form the basis for a child's social future and future emotion, thought and behavior patterns, starting from birth.
The family structure carries many good and bad or positive and negative facts. . In the light of these facts, while the child forms his future emotional and behavioral structure, the family can also be considered as the structure in which a child first socializes and begins to get to know the environment. In order for a child to become a healthy individual, his or her parents must fulfill their duties as mothers and fathers, that is, they must provide an environment of love and trust within the family to become an independent individual. A healthy family environment depends on a flexible family structure that is neither too liberal nor too authoritarian. If parents accept their children as individuals, listen to them in line with their needs, and show unconditional love and unconditional respect, they play an important role in becoming a healthy family.
The family carries many facts within itself. Couples who decide to become a family may, over time, want to put an end to this structure they have established due to factors such as economic, social and psychological. Ending this legal or religious family status is called divorce. Even though divorce rates are increasing in today's societies and are perceived as easy, the psychological damage it leaves for people cannot be denied. Even if divorce is accepted as the termination of being a family, the divorce takes place between the spouses and if the couples have children from this marriage, there can be no question of divorce or termination in the name of becoming a mother and father. Even if spouses end their legal status as spouses, motherhood and fatherhood is a lifelong situation (Öngören, 2017).
It is also a situation that should be considered that divorce has social consequences. The main reason for this is that divorce deeply affects children. Considering the fact that divorce rates are increasing at a high rate, the proportion of children of divorced parents in society is also increasing at the same rate. One According to many researchers, this is a phenomenon that may cause the foundations of societies to be shaken (Akyüz, 1978). It can be thought that the impact of divorce on children varies depending on the child's age, changes in the child's living standards, the attitude of the mother and father during and before this period, the way the divorce decision is told to the child, and the psychological support the child receives, if any, during this period. If we generalize children's reactions to their parents' divorce according to their age, preschool children may experience sleep disturbances, bedwetting, fear, stubbornness, anger and unreasonable crying. School age children can be considered the age period most affected by their parents. The reason for this is that the child's perceptions are clearer than in the preschool period. During this period, the child perceives and internalizes the conflict, unrest at home, and any angry behavior between the mother and father. The child at this age may develop feelings and behaviors against divorce, academic failure, mistrust towards the mother or father, lying, fear and anger. Contrary to the idea that the child may be affected much more during adolescence, it is also suggested that the individual in this period will be less affected with a more objective approach. The most common behavior in adolescents during this period, when different behavioral disorders may develop in response to their parents' divorce, is anger (Akyüz, 1978).
Anger is an emotional reaction to unexpected or undesirable situations and consequences. There can be many different factors that trigger anger. This situation varies depending on the person and the person's feelings, thoughts and behaviors in situations. Anger is a phenomenon that continues to increase in societies, considering the difficult conditions of the world we live in today. Although anger and the state of being angry or angry are different from each other, they are often confused and used interchangeably (Bilge, 1996). It is the state of preventing and suppressing without causing harm. Although anger is a human emotion and behavior, anger can be destructive when it cannot be controlled. and may cause irreversible penal conditions (Çiğdem, 2011).
The aim of this study is to examine the anger behavior and control in children of divorced families in three separate categories according to age periods. The aim is to compile the effects of divorce experienced or about to occur within the family on the anger behavior of children in preschool, school age and adolescence and the compilation of studies on this subject.
The Effects of Divorce on Preschool Children.
The need for mother and father, that is, family, is very high in preschool children (0-6 years old). . Children at this age experience deep anxiety and deprivation when their parents separate. If couples who decide to divorce have children, the children suffer the most from this separation (Kasım and Nuri, 2016). During the preschool period, children are very open to observation and transferring these observations to their behavior in the future. These ages, when children's character and temperament begin to take shape, are the foundation for future periods (Sefa, 2012). Higher levels of stress and anxiety can be observed in children whose parents are divorced and whose parents maintain a conflictual relationship despite their separation. Considering that anxiety and anger can be transmitted from individual to individual like a contagious disease, it can be thought that anxious or angry mothers and fathers instill this in their children (Alisinanoğlu, 2000).
While researchers emphasize the importance of growing up in a complete family, a complete family develops healthy children. They emphasize that one can become a complete family with mutual love, mutual respect and mutual solidarity. It fosters harmony, trust, love and respect within the family and provides an important environment for raising healthy individuals. Even though mothers and fathers are individually important in the psychological development of the child, the need for the mother is much greater, especially in the first two years of the preschool period. During this period, the mother creates the most important social environment for her child (Akyüz, 1978).
The interaction between the child and the family in the first six years after birth is important in terms of the child's psychological development. Just as the burden is important, the relationship and interaction between the mother and father is also very important for the psychological development of the child. Many researchers who are experts in their fields have studies on preschool child and parent relations theories. It is thought that mothers and fathers have different attitudes towards the child's development and education, and therefore conflicts between parents negatively reflect on children's thoughts and behaviors. Considering that this inconsistency and conflict situation will be more common in cases of divorce, we can say that the indirect effect of divorce on the child will be negative. The most important reason for this is that the relationship of mothers and fathers who have problems and conflicts in their marriage with their children is also negatively affected in this direction. When the research on this subject is examined, it has been observed that husband-wife relationships and parenting functions directly affect the child's behavior (Öngider, 2013).
Who, when and in what way the child was told about the divorce decision? Perception of the situation is important in terms of the emotions, thoughts and behaviors it can develop. No matter how old the child is, explaining the situation to the child should be done together by the mother and father. If there is more than one child, this conversation should be repeated with each child separately. This explanation should be provided at a quiet time, calmly, in a home environment if possible. This explanation speech may be seen as unnecessary by some parents with preschool children and may be skipped. However, it should be considered that the child, regardless of age, will be affected by this situation and may become confused, and an approach should be taken accordingly. Changes that will occur or may occur in the child's life should be discussed openly and the necessary environment of trust should be created for the child. Otherwise, the parent leaving home will create confusion in the child and this will cause the level of anxiety to increase (Erdim and Ergün, 2016).
When the negative effects of divorce are observed in preschool children, fears of abandonment and being alone often arise. In addition, unreasonable crying crises, anger behaviors, difficulty in toilet training or regression and regressive behaviors are common symptoms of divorced parents before school. These are the negative effects that are frequently seen in children during this period (Erdim and Ergün, 2016).
Bakırcıoğlu (2011) concluded that the younger the child is, the more affected he is by the divorce and its importance in terms of guiding his subsequent behavior. It has been observed that boys whose parents divorced when they were 3 to 5 years old show anger, aggression and intolerance behaviors when they reach adolescence. In girls in the same age group, there is a decrease in school success as well as anger behavior. Studies have shown that 3-5-year-old boys from broken families refuse to go to school when they reach adolescence (Bakırcıoğlu, 2011). Effects.
When we say school age child, the age range of 6-12, which includes the age periods of primary and secondary school, is taken into account. This period between infancy after birth, playful childhood and adolescence can also be called the "latent period" in the field of psychology. Unlike preschool childhood, the child is expected to accumulate certain skills, academic learning and knowledge. In addition, this is the period when the child expands his/her environment, socializes, introduces and internalizes new concepts such as school, lessons, teachers and friends into his/her life. Even though the child begins to acquire new concepts and new environments during this period and socializes, the most important environment for the child is still the family (Youell, 2015).
The child who reaches primary school age understands abstract concepts, makes generalizations, and understands his abilities and limitations. begins to realize. The healthy realization of this change and development largely depends on the domestic conditions prepared for the child, the opportunities given to the child, the positive steps taken for the sake of self-esteem, and the healthy and correct interaction environment offered at home and at school (Yavuzer, 2000).
One of the most common emotions seen in school-age children whose parents have divorced or decided to divorce is the feeling of guilt. The child may develop the idea that his parents divorced because of him. This bond of emotion and thought
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