Should It Be Easy? Divorce Process Attitudes Among Those Who Have Split Up in Midlife

This grounded theory analysis examines the gray divorced population’s attitudes about the divorce process, that is, whether those who have experienced a divorce at age 50 or older believe divorce should be easier or harder to obtain in U.S. society. Among the 40 men and 40 women interviewed in this analysis, there were divorce delayers, who wanted to make divorce laws stricter; divorce facilitators, who championed more flexible divorce laws; divorce ambivalents, who held mixed views; and marriage gatekeepers, who advocated on behalf of status quo divorce laws but tougher relationship-strengthening requirements before marriage. The diversity of these participants’ views reflects those voices in the general population who continue to see divorce as a complex decision for most couples.     

The Impact of Divorce on Children's Academic Performance

The academic performance of children of divorce was studied through a retrospective longitudinal design. The school records of 234 children of divorce and 223 children from intact families were examined and grades and achievement test scores in English and mathematics were recorded for five consecutive years. The results showed that children of divorce had poorer achievement test scores in the immediate aftermath of divorce. Their grades, on the other hand, did not seem to be adversely affected. By the fifth year following divorce, sex differences were pronounced with divorce adversely affecting the grades and achievement test scores of boys but not girls. The results were discussed in terms of their implications for research on divorce and academic performance as well as research on divorce and children in general.     

Divorce Likelihood Among Anglos and Mexican Americans

In this paper, we examine ethnic differences in divorce likelihood for a sample of 900 divorce petitions filed in San Antonio, Texas, during 1985. The present study explores ethnic differences in the nature of the divorce process and examines the extent to which observed ethnic differences in divorce likelihood are accounted for by differences between groups in dimensions such as socioeconomic status, marital history, and nature of complaints. Divorce likelihood is viewed from the perspective of Levinger's (1965) exchange model of marital instability, as recently applied to the phenomenon of divorce petition withdrawal by Kitson et al. (1983). Observed differences between Spanish surname and non-Spanish surname petitions in divorce likelihood and divorce delay are largely explained by controls for background and exchange model variables. Significant interaction effects with ethnicity suggest the complexity of the divorce process.     

The Extent and Rate of Divorce in Plateau State,Nigeria 1980 to 1988

The major issue for this research was to investigate the extent and rate of divorce, its causes and attitudes toward divorce laws. This study surveyed 3500 people from the selected local government areas. The findings show high divorce rate, and 71.2% of the husbands had their divorce in courts as opposed lo 76.6% of the wives who had their marriages annulled in courts. Adultery ranked the highest among the reasons for divorce, while the wives were more likely than their husbands to have negative attitudes toward divorce laws because they are always the victims of divorce not protected by the law.     

Are Divorce Studies Trustworthy? The Effects of Survey Nonresponse and Response Errors

Researchers rely on relationship data to measure the multifaceted nature of families. This article speaks to relationship data quality by examining the ramifications of different types of error on divorce estimates, models predicting divorce behavior, and models employing divorce as a predictor. Comparing matched survey and divorce certificate information from the 1995 Life Events and Satisfaction Study (N = 1,811) showed that nonresponse error is responsible for the majority of the error in divorce data. Misreporting the divorce event was rare, and more than two thirds of respondents provided a divorce date within 6 months of the actual date. Nevertheless, divorce date error attenuated effects of time since divorce on outcomes. Gender, child custody, marital history, and education were associated with divorce error.     

Adult Children of Divorce: Awareness and Intervention

Parental midlife divorce impacts children who are adults at the time of the separation event. This article examines the family life cycle and stages as well as the transitions that occur when parents divorce at midlife. Specifically, the divorce impacts on the adult children are examined in relation to their unique life stage. Therapeutic practice implications and theories will also be explored in relation to assisting adult children of divorce reconcile the divorce experience of their parents.     

Delayed Parental Divorce: How Much Do Children Benefit?

This study compares children who experienced divorce in childhood with those who were young adults when their parents divorced to differentiate between long‐term effects of divorce resulting from preexisting factors, including the child's behavioral problems and psychological status as well as the family's economic circumstances, and those resulting from divorce itself. We used National Child Development Study data on 11,409 British children born in 1958 and followed up until age 33. Children's long‐term welfare appears to be linked both to conditions preceding and following the divorce event. The results point to some limitations of existing studies on divorce and suggest caution in drawing conclusions about average effects of divorce. The impact of divorce appears to be a complex blend of selection and socialization.     

“It Is Not a Big Deal,I Can Do It,Too”: Influence of Parental Divorce on Professional Women's Marital Experience in Turkey

This article reports on a study of how parental divorce affects the marriage and divorce experiences of professional women in Turkey. Drawing on the retrospective accounts of eight professional women in relation to their own divorce and those of their parents, this study highlights the role of parental divorce and cultural context in adult children's attitudes, beliefs, and experiences regarding their own union formation. Based on this small qualitative sample, results demonstrate that parental divorce affected women's entire lives, with considerable impact on their commitment to marriage and view of divorce in general. They learn from their parents that marriages can be broken when they do not function properly. As a result, instead of being more patient or self- sacrificing, as is frequently advised to women in Turkish society, the women in this study readily tended toward divorce as a viable solution to marital problems.     

The Throes and Relief of Divorce

A divorce is a series of victories and losses. Everyone's lives get better if a marriage eroded by painful disagreements is dissolved. Usually, both spouses go through purgatory with various trials along their divorce. The aim of this article is to analyze what kinds of feelings a divorce excites as described by divorcees (N?=?74). What emotions do the divorcees emphasize in their divorce experience? The data were collected in the form of informal letters, in which people (71 women, 3 men) could reveal their thoughts and experiences in an open manner. The data were analyzed by content analysis and the results showed that a divorce produces emotional baggage with plenty of insecurity and uncertainty, but provides promises, challenges, and options as well. Although a divorce is a difficult experience, it cannot be blamed as such. Often after a torturous marriage, divorce is the only reasonable solution.     

Marriage, divorce, and legal change: new evidence from England and Wales

In this article, we explain the evolution of divorce rates in England and Wales over the post-war period. Following the approach of the predominantly North American literature in this area, we focus on the liberalization of divorce law and socioeconomic factors as determinants of the divorce rate. In line with the development of the literature, we find that the introduction of liberalized, no-fault divorce law had a significant effect on the divorce rate in England and Wales. The finding that the law affects the divorce rate is consistent with the view that marriage is characterized by indivisibilities that inhibit Coasian bargaining.     

’Til Divorce Do Us Part: Marriage Dissolution in Later Life

Late-life divorce—commonly referred to as gray divorce—is a rising trend that parallels the growth of the older adult population. We sought to gain an in-depth understanding of the experience of marriage dissolution, the divorce process, and life following divorce in a sample of older adults who divorced after more than 20 years of marriage. Qualitative data were collected from 10 divorcees (7 women and 3 men; M age = 63.5) and analyzed to understand the gray divorce experience; that is, factors that determined or delayed the decision to divorce and divorcees’ coping during and after divorce. Participants’ stories demonstrate that marriages endure despite problems because relationships are complex, and good experiences mix with bad ones. Outcomes of late-life divorce have significant health and financial implications for both individuals and society.     

Legal access and the incidence of divorce in Canada: asociohistorical analysis

Les tendances à long terme du taux de divorce au Canada ainsi que dans les provinces sont examinées dans le cadre des dispositions de la loi canadienne sur le divorce, des changements d'attitude sociale, et de la structure familiale. On suggère en particulier que l'idée « d'accessibilité juridique« est essentielle pour l'analyse du changement du taux de divorce. Cette notion réfere à l'effet qu'a sur le taux de divorce la nature des raisons légales invoquées ainsi que la facilité ou non d'accès à des cours de divorce. Plus précisément, le taux de divorce au Canada avant la réforme légale de 1968 donne une bien pauvre idée du nombre exact de manages brisés, et ceci à cause des exigences légales quant aux motifs de divorce et à cause du manque de cours de divorce dans certaines provinces. De plus, l'existence d'importants obstacles légaux au divorce a encouragé l'institutionalisation de formes d'évasion parmi ceux qui pensaient à divorcer, y compris les divorces migratoires et les procès frauduleux. Toutefois, l'existence de variations importantes et à long terme entre provinces canadiennes dans le taux de divorce fait ressortir le besoin d'analyses plus poussées des variables sociales, culturelles, et démographiques qui semblent être associées aux variations régionales dans le taux de divorce. Long-term trends in divorce rates in Canada are examined within the framework of Canadian divorce law and of changes in social attitudes and family structure. It is suggested, in particular, that an essential concept in an analysis of the changing incidence of divorce is that of ‘legal access,’ by which is meant the impact on divorce rates of the nature of the legal grounds for divorce, as well as the impact of the provision, or lack of provision, of divorce court facilities. More specifically, Canadian divorce rates prior to the divorce law reforms of 1968 are shown to have provided a very poor indication of the actual rate of marriage breakdown owing to the stringent nature of the legal grounds of divorce and the lack of divorce court facilities in some provinces. Furthermore, the existence of major legal barriers to divorce fostered patterns of institutionalized evasion amongst those seeking divorces including migratory divorces and fraudulent divorce actions. However, the continued existence of large, and long-term, variations in divorce rates between the Canadian provinces highlights the need for further analysis of a wide variety of social, cultural, and demographic variables which appear to be associated with the differential regional incidence of divorce in this country.     

Divorce in Research vs. Divorce in Media

What is the case for divorce? Researchers in the sociology of family tend to find that divorce's impact depends on what the comparison is: compared to a distressed marriage, divorce has its benefits. Meanwhile, policy makers and general audiences alike get much of their information about divorce research via the news media, where the negative consequences of divorce tend to be exaggerated, especially when comparisons, selection bias, or other research issues are neglected. Over the past 20 years, U.S. news coverage of divorce illustrates two key, intertwined topics: moral entrepreneurship using divorce as an issue and divorce research using (or not) careful methods of comparison. Three cases discussed below (in 1988–1989, 2002–2004, and 2008) illustrate these two themes. The underlying research on the health and mental health effects (including by gender) of divorce on children and adults reviewed in this article makes a case for divorce. The overlay of media reporting on divorce research illuminates the purpose for offering a case for divorce.     

Conflict or Divorce? Does Parental Conflict and/or Divorce Increase the Likelihood of Adult Children's Cohabiting and Marital Dissolution?

The short- and long-term effects of family structure on child well-being remains a hotly contested area among both researchers and policymakers. Although previous research documents that children of divorce are more prone to divorce themselves, much of this research has been plagued by multiple data and analytic problems. A second problematic issue relates to whether it is the divorce per se that leads to increased divorce or rather the conflict that may precede the divorce. In this article we examine whether children who experience parental conflict and/or divorce are more likely to experience a cohabiting breakup or divorce as adults compared with children from low conflict and/or intact families. Our examination improves on past research by using a three-wave longitudinal data set and by controlling for predivorce family characteristics, including the conflict between parents before divorce. We extend previous research on the effect of parental conflict and divorce on adult children's likelihood of divorce by also examining the likelihood of a cohabiting dissolution.     

Timing Effects on Divorce: 20th Century Experience in the United States

Period divorce measures can misrepresent the underlying behavior of birth cohorts as changes in cohort timing produce changes in period probabilities of divorce. Building on methods used to adjust period fertility and marriage measures, we adjust U.S. period divorce rates for timing effects, calculating a timing index for every year between 1910 and 2000. The adjusted probability of divorce, PMED*, increases nearly linearly from 1910 through 1990, remaining at about that level through 2000. Period measures greatly exaggerate divorce risks from the early 1970s to the mid‐1980s, but understate them at other times. Adjusted values for recent years do not suggest a decline in the likelihood of divorce, with year 2000 values indicating a divorce probability of 0.43 – 0.46.     

Emotional Divorce: Child’s Well-Being

The effects of parental emotional divorce on the levels of depression, anxiety, stress, and aggression in children, as measured by the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS) and Aggression Questionnaire were studied. The measures were administered to a sample of 81 Iranian children ranging in age from 10 to 12 years old; 50 were in the legal divorce group and 31 were in the emotional divorce group. Children of emotionally divorced parents showed significantly higher levels of emotional and behavioral problems than counterparts from legally divorced parents. They reported more depression, anxiety, stress, and aggression. Additionally, moderate, severe, and extremely severe levels of emotional and behavioral problems were more common among emotional divorce children than legal divorce ones. In conclusion, the findings clearly showed that emotional divorce is more harmful than legal divorce. The differences between emotionally divorced and legally divorced families and the diversity of emotional and behavioral reactions among their children are discussed.     

Comparing the Effects of Amount of Conflict on Children's Adjustment Following Parental Divorce

This study examined the immediate and short-term effects on children of the conflict (as reflected by the level of court involvement) their family experiences during divorce proceedings. Families going through various levels of divorce (dissolution, divorce with little litigation, moderate litigation, and high levels of litigation) were investigated. Seventy-six parents (31 men and 45 women) between the ages of 22 and 53 who had children ranging in age from 2 to 17 years old participated. The Divorce Adjustment Inventory–Revised was completed by the parents immediately following the divorce hearing and again 6 months later. Results indicated that families experiencing a higher level of conflict (as measured by level of court involvement) displayed more family conflict or maladjustment, less favorable divorce conditions and child coping ability, and less positive divorce resolution. Implications of the study and indications for future research are discussed.     

How Childhood Circumstances Moderate the Long‐Term Impact of Divorce on Father–Child Relationships

Using retrospective survey data collected in the Netherlands in 2012, the author examined how childhood circumstances moderate the effect of an early parental divorce on relationships between fathers and adult children. Using adult children's reports about the frequency of contact and the quality of the relationship, he found strong negative effects of parental divorce. These effects are moderated by 3 childhood conditions. The more fathers were involved in childrearing during marriage, the less negative the divorce effect on father–child relationships. Father's resources also moderated the effect, with a smaller divorce effect for more highly educated fathers. Finally, high levels of interparental conflict reduce the impact of divorce as well, generalizing the stress relief effect to a new outcome. In general, the study shows that the impact of divorce is heterogeneous; that childhood circumstances play an important role in this; and that, under specific conditions, there is virtually no negative effect of parental divorce.     

Reasons That Could Lead People to Divorce in an Evolutionary Perspective: Evidence from Cyprus

In the current research, we aimed to identify the reasons that could drive people to get a divorce. In Study 1, we employed qualitative research methods, and we identified 62 reasons that could potentially drive people to get a divorce. Using quantitative research methods, in Study 2 we classified these reasons into 7 broader factors. We found that being a harmful spouse was the most important factor for divorce, followed by incompatibility and in-law problems. We also found significant sex differences in several factors such as women indicating a higher willingness than men to divorce a harmful spouse. In addition, participants with children were less willing to divorce a harmful spouse than those who had no children. Finally, using second-order principal components analysis, we classified the 7 factors into 2 broader domains of reasons for getting a divorce.     

The Effects of Divorce on Children: Mothers’ Perspectives in UAE

This study examined the effects of divorce on children in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A structured questionnaire was conducted with 1,742 divorced women and SPSS was used for quantitative data analysis. The aim of this quantitative analysis was to determine the social, psychological, health, and schooling effects of divorce on children (ages 1–18) in the UAE. The study confirmed that children are adversely affected. The study found that divorce was associated with a higher incidence of several impacts of divorce such as economic hardship, lack of concentration in school, sleeping disorders, and challenge and stubbornness. This is the first study in the UAE exploring the social, psychological, health, and schooling effects of divorce on children and to gain an understanding of the unknown aspects of the divorce phenomenon in the region.