According to recent studies, girls are more affected by divorce than boys.

"Endangered species" is a term that could also be used for describing some girls. Recent 

studies show, girls are more affected by divorce than boys, and when the father is not actively 

involved in her life, a girl is likely to suffer emotional damage that could last into adulthood. It 

doesn't matter why the divorce happened. If a father is active in a girl's life, she adjusts more 

easily and lives a happier, more fulfilling life.

Whereas the "endangered black male" has always been a topic of discussion, no similar discussion has been generated around the topic of females. It takes a male role model for males to follow, but daughters need fathers in a different way, perhaps to teach them how to relate to males. 

According to studies, for many reasons, daughters are more affected by a divorce than sons. The following statement is an excerpt from the book, Father-Daughter Relationships-Contemporary Research and issues, by Linda Nielsen (2012):

"Overall then, the differences between daughters with divorced

or married parents are relatively small, if their socioeconomic

levels are similar. Still, daughters of divorced parents are more likely 

to develop academic, behavioral, or emotional problems than

those with married parents. More important still, the one aspect

of a daughter’s life that is almost always damaged by the divorce is

her relationship with her father. Moreover, her relationship is usu-

ally more damaged than the son’s. So regardless of how successful

or well adapted she may be in other areas of her life, the daughter

generally pays this ongoing price for her parents’ divorce: a weak-

ened or severed relationship with her father."

Linda Nielsen asks a few questions regarding father-daughter relationships: How do you rate as a father? How does your own father rate?

I know women and girls who have been negatively affected by divorce, but I also know those who have thrived despite emotional setbacks caused by a divorce. Linda Nielsen seems to be saying, how well a girl adjusts mostly depends on her involvement with her father.
(c)M.D.Johnson (2015)
 
**I know a good read when I see one. I am not acquainted with anyone involving any aspect of this book, but excerpts even from its introduction or from discussions about this book are informative and helpful. Access my entire discussion via mhjohnson at Emomastery on Facebook. I look forward to seeing you there!

"Bullied little girl in the photograph hanging on the wall...."

Bullied little girl in the photograph

Bullied little girl in the photograph

Hanging on the wall

You have fought some battles

Although you're very small.

You have lost some fights

But you have won some, too.

I remember being bullied

When I was small like you.

When others push and terrify

Or cyber-bully you,

Just stay strong and tell someone.

It's the first thing you should do.

A bully or someone who hurts

Is feeling scared inside

And hopes to feel much better

Stealing someone else's pride.

If you tell someone that you can trust

What you've been going through,

It might not save just only you--

It might save the bully, too.

                                                                  (c) mdjohnson (2015)

Listen to your emotions --and watch Whiteboard Videos - PTSD: National Center for PTSD.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is described by the National Institute of Mental Health as a "debilitating condition that can occur after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened." Untreated PTSD can co-occur with other emotional or physical illnesses like depression or heart disease, but it can also lead to such invisible illnesses. Knowing the symptoms is the first step toward recognizing and treating two invisible illnesses: PTSD and depression.

Emotional competence includes the ability to cope with extremely traumatic events, but there is no way to know one's ability to cope until faced with emotionally devastating circumstances. After a traumatic event or  negative events that take an emotional toll over time, there is no way to anticipate who will develop symptoms of PTSD or depression, but according to studies, these two emotional disorders are linked. Statistics indicate, more than 40 percent of patients with PTSD also had depression "when evaluated both at one month and four months following the traumatic event"
http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/artic/depression_research_nimh.htm. 
Unless the symptoms of PTSD and depression are recognized, they can persist for years. Without treatment or some type of intervention, these emotional illnesses can have tragic consequences.

Emotional illnesses like PTSD and depression are often described as "invisible illnesses" because their symptoms are relatively unknown, confused with other illnesses, or hidden by sufferers due to fear of stigma, job loss, or discrimination. But more and more, people are learning to recognize the symptoms in themselves and others, and they are daring to seek and accept intervention or treatment.

Yet, there are many people who still do not recognize symptoms of PTSD or depression. They are confused by their symptoms, don't stop to track negative thoughts, and don't keep a record of their behavior and emotions. The longer their symptoms remain untreated, the greater the risk of suicide. Keeping a written journal of thoughts and feelings covering a period of two weeks to three months will provide a record of feelings and behaviors that allow medical professionals to determine frequency and levels of anxiety or patterns of negative thinking which will provide the basis for a correct evaluation and diagnosis.

Feeling overwhelmed by anxiety or other negative emotions is not a normal reaction to the stresses of daily life. Such feelings are signals that some event or traumatic situation has exceeded one's ability to cope. Emotional disorders are highly treatable but dangerous to ignore. Being proactive in identifying and addressing symptoms of PTSD or depression could be a matter of life or death.
(c) MDJohnson (2015)

Whiteboard Videos - PTSD: National Center for PTSD