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Pediatricians can play an important role in helping children whose parents are going through a divorce or separation cope with potential emotional trauma, according to a a clinical report from the .

Pediatricians should work to identify the need for intervention and counseling for the child, while maintaining favorable, neutral relationships with the parents, wrote of the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn., and chair of the AAP Section on Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics in .

"The pediatrician can help parents understand their children's reactions to divorce or separation," she said in a press release. "Those reactions will vary, depending on age and stage of development. Parents should be encouraged to answer their children's questions honestly, and allow them to express their own feelings."

According to Weitzman and colleagues, some of the factors which may influence a child's reaction to parental divorce include the child's stage of development, the parents' ability to focus on the child's needs and feelings, the child's temperament, and the child's and parents' psychosocial functioning before and after the separation.

The report authors also observed several patterns regarding who might require more counseling and why. For example, although separation among unmarried heterosexual partners is more common than divorce, it results in psychological effects that are just as significant, therefore requiring pediatric support.

The report also noted that as children develop and mature, their emotions, concerns, and behaviors surrounding the divorce are likely to change. Incidents such as changes in custody arrangements, the introduction of stepfamilies, and parents beginning to date or engage in sexual activities may all influence a child's ability to adjust.

Based on their findings, the report authors offered pediatricians five ways to help children and families going through divorce or separation:

1. Be cognizant of warning signs of a dysfunctional marriage, co-parenting relationships, or impending separation.
2. Discuss family functioning in anticipatory guidance, and remind parents that their actions during and after a divorce are very important in terms of their child's adjustment.
3. Serve as the child's advocate and offer support and age-appropriate advice to both the child and parents regarding reactions to divorce. These emotions often include guilt, anger, sadness, and perceived loss of love.
4. Establish and define your role and boundaries around divorce. Encourage open discussion with and between parents, don't take sides with either parent, and understand if and when to involve child protective services.
5. When necessary, refer families to mental health and child-oriented resources that specialize in divorce.

of Harvard Medical School in Boston, and chair of the AAP Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health, highlighted the importance of maintaining consistency and familiarity. "Children's routines -- such as school, extracurricular activities and their contact with friends and family -- should remain as normal and unchanged as possible."

In addition, "children need to understand that they did not cause the divorce, and have their questions answered honestly, at their level of understanding," he stated.

The report also stressed the importance of long-term follow-up, reminding pediatricians that "a divorce is a process and not an event." While most children are able to adjust to the separation or divorce over time -- particularly those who have supportive relationships and are well adjusted before the event occurred -- others might benefit from ongoing professional counseling.

For example, many children displayed behavior change during the first year of their parent's separation, yet adjusted within 2 to 3 years after the event. However, the child's sense of loss may last for years and be exacerbated on holidays, birthdays, or other special occasions.