A study in Britain has found that kids whose parents split up are more likely to end up without qualifications and suffering from depression -- in short, divorce harms a child's prospects in life.

"Divorce has repercussions that reverberate through childhood and into adulthood. Children from disrupted families tend to do less well in school and subsequent careers than their peers. They are also more likely to experience the break-up of their own partnerships," the researchers said.

The researchers tracked around 17,000 people born in Britain during one week in 1958 over the course of their lives to reach the conclusion, The Daily Telegraph reported.

As those people approach their 50th birthdays, the researchers have compared their lives with those of other sample groups born in earlier and later years -- the study has confirmed that children born in 1958 were much less likely to experience parental divorce than children today.

Family break-up was subject to much greater social stigma at the time, something that was sometimes thought to contribute to the problems experienced by the children of divorced parents.

Yet the study's data suggest that greater social acceptance of divorce has not reduced its impact on children.

"It might be expected that as divorce has become more commonplace, its effects might have reduced. Yet a comparison with children born in 1970 shows that this is not the case," the researchers said.

Comparing the outcomes of people born in 1958 and those born in 1970 when they reached their early 30s, the researchers found that the children of divorced parents in both groups were equally likely to lack qualifications, be on benefits and suffer from depression.