To state the obvious, family matters can have an effect on your mental health. But, when parents divorce the impact on teen addiction is more complicated than it seems. New research from Lebanon and the US indicates that teens with divorced parents might have to deal with a little more than just having two Christmases - they could have a higher risk of falling to substance addiction.
Before people start jumping to conclusions, let’s make it clear that divorce is not the end-all be-all of a teen’s life. It doesn’t automatically doom children to addiction. What it does do, however, is expose the kids to a set of risks that include emotional instability, confusion, increased exposure to abuse, all of which can lead a teen to search for a way out - a coping mechanism.
A 2022 study published in the Archives of Public Health focused on Lebanese kids found a direct link between parental divorce and nicotine addiction. The study also revealed that it wasn’t just because of the sad feelings that teens were experiencing because of the divorce. It was also because of the things that came after their parents splitting up; Physical and psychological abuse, and feeling neglect from their parents all add up to create a perfect storm of trauma.
The study states that nearly 12% of the 1,810 teens surveyed had divorced parents. This group was more likely to become dependent on nicotine products mentioned previously like hookahs and cigarettes. But there’s more to it than just parental divorce in this scenario. Other factors largely contributed to these dependencies like child abuse.
Another study from 2021 on those with a history of bullying victimization states that, “Bullying victimization is a chronic stressor that can make it difficult for victims to cope in more adaptive ways. Consequently, victims may engage in health risk behaviors such as substance use…”. It says it right there people. To put it simply, parental divorce is the start, and bullying and abuse are the catalysts that lead to feelings of aggression, anger, neglect and instability.
All of this lines up with what we know from broader studies on childhood adversity. In 2025, researchers looked at what protects kids from going down the road of addiction, despite a rough start.
The Florida study pulled data from almost 25,000 students statewide, and examined how things like having a mentor, feeling safe at school, or being a part of a supportive community can act as a “buffer” in the face of adverse childhood experiences. The study found that those who had lived through adverse childhood experiences were less likely to engage in substance abuse if they had strong, positive relationships in their lives.
But here’s the thing - not ALL research agrees that divorce itself is a major risk factor. In fact, some research says that it is not the divorce itself, but how the divorce is handled that contributes to making a difference in this scenario. This research shows that in some cases, kids who grow up in high conflict households might actually feel better after their parents separate because of the decreased tension in the household. Research claims that if the divorced couple are peaceful and supportive (and don’t make the kid feel like they're in a war zone), the risk of substance use may not increase at all.
Issues and Challenges in Co-Parenting
In reality, this ideal form of parental divorce isn’t what all teens experience. The version of divorce that includes peaceful co-parenting and good support systems is a rare occurrence. Data from multiple studies show that in most cases, parental divorce leads to increased instability, reduced parental supervision, and increased risk of experiencing abuse, which as we discussed earlier, only worsens the risk of substance use. The 2022 Lebanese study confirms it; teens weren’t just smoking because their parents separated - they were smoking more because of the abuse and neglect that they experienced thereafter.
Penn State psychology professor Paul Amato states that, “In general, the accumulated research suggests that marital dissolution has the potential to create considerable turmoil in people's lives.” He even addresses substance use as a main outcome of parental divorce. Amato’s research shows that even when high-conflict marriages end, divorce is still associated with a laundry list of negative outcomes that can all point toward substance use as a coping mechanism. This list includes: Lower academic achievement, behavioral problems, greater likelihood of mental health issues, weaker relationships in adulthood and more.
Obviously kids will be in a better place emotionally if the parents break up is clean, but that’s not the world that most kids with divorced parents live in. The overwhelming majority of kids with divorced parents have to deal with living in separate homes, switching schools, financial instability, and even having to support their own parents, all of which can have lasting mental health effects. And when push comes to shove, teens often turn to substances as a means to cope because it all gets too overwhelming.
Even the strong, positive relationships mentioned earlier in the Florida study only reduce - not eliminate - the risk of delinquency. Those who had more negative childhood experiences - including parental divorce - were still at a higher risk to turn to substances than their peers who hadn’t had the same experiences.
At the end of the day, not everyone who’s parents get divorced are bound to go down a path of addiction and substance use, but let’s not overlook the fact that divorce followed by abuse, neglect, instability, and a whirlwind of emotions can easily break a kid. These experiences are traumatic, and trauma can be dealt with the right way, but can also be dealt with in very wrong ways that include nicotine, pills, alcohol and worse. Until we start to build the proper support systems in schools, homes and communities where teens feel comfortable being vulnerable, the problems these kids face with coping will only worsen.
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