Children whose parents divorce. The effect on the children can range from little-to-none, to devastating. Divorce affects children in many ways. It affects kids emotionally and causes them to experience painful feelings such as fear, loss, anger and confusion. Divorce also hurts a child’s academic achievement. Children whose parents divorce generally have poorer scores on tests and a higher dropout rate. Children of divorce often have it more difficult, in some ways, than children who do not come from families that go through a divorce.