STRESS REACTIONS TO MARITAL DISSOLUTION AS EXPERIENCED BY ADULTS ATTENDING COURSES ON DIVORCE

This study explores the impact of marital dissolution on 161 people who chose to attend an adult education course on divorce. It describes their stress reactions, and suggests clinical implications. Information was obtained from questionnaires, symptom checklists, MMPl D30 scales, interviews, and therapy sessions. Results indicate that people going through divorce are, as might be expected, greatly impacted: 91 percent feel an unusual degree of stress: 67 percent feel unhappy and worry about the future much of the time; 44 percent are as depressed as hospitalized patients; most are concerned about how to be single again. These reactions, which were found to be normal responses to the complex adjustments inherent in this major life change, are explained by concepts from crisis and object relations theories.