Dueling parents can put their children at greater risk for psychiatric illnesses and behavioral problems.

Children of divorced parents who continue to fight with each other, have a higher risk of developing psychiatric illnesses and behavioral disturbances later in life says Dr. Stephen Soltys, chair of psychiatry at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield. He explains:

SOUND BITE: "Some parents will fight with their children and with their spouse and the divorce doesn't end the conflict, it just brings it into another arena. In instances where the divorce reduces conflict, the children tend to do better. Where the divorce does not reduce conflict, the children tend to do mo more poorly."

Dr. Soltys says there are several reasons why parental conflict causes problems in children. It may be that the children do not have role models for the parent who is no longer in the family. If raised with the mother, they may not have a father figure to identify with. And, the single parent is often so busy with taking care of the children's primary needs and housekeeping duties, that they do not have time to focus on a child's special needs. Dr. Soltys says if a child is having problems, both parents must work together to solve the problems.

SOUND BITE: " . . . it is critical if a child is having problems after a divorce for both parents to be involved in the treatment and to look at the roles they are playing in prolonging that conflict. Children are very sensitive to what's going on and if they are put in the middle of a parental battle, you are more likely to have problems."

It is important to seek professional help for a child who shows signs of behavioral disturbances or psychiatric problems caused by parental conflict. And it is essential for both parents to work on changing the way they deal with each other, for the sake of the child.