1. Infrequent contact or loss of contact with a parental figure due to separation or divorce.
2. Intense emotional outbursts (e.g., crying, yelling, swearing) and sudden shifts in mood due to significant change in the family system.
3. Excessive use of alcohol and drugs as a maladaptive coping mechanism to ward off painful emotions surrounding separation or divorce.
4. Strong feelings of grief and sadness combined with feelings of low self-worth, lack of confidence, social withdrawal, and loss of interest in activities that normally bring pleasure.
5. Feeling of guilt accompanied by the unreasonable belief of having behaved in some manner to cause the parents’ divorce and/or failing to prevent the divorce from occurring.
6. Marked increase in frequency and severity of acting-out, oppositional, and aggressive behaviors since the onset of the parents’ martial problems, separation, or divorce.
7. Significant decline in school performance and lack of interest or motivation in school-related activities.
8. Pattern of engaging in sexually promiscuous or seductive behaviors to compensate for the loss of security or support within the family system.
9. Pseudo maturity as manifested by denying or suppressing painful emotions about divorce and often assuming parental roles or responsibilities.
10. Numerous psychosomatic complaints in response to anticipated separations, stress, or frustration.
Loss of contact with a positive support network due to a geographic move.
