Divorce and Relationship Dissolution, Psychological Experience of

The ending of any relationship is complex and difficult at best, and much research on different-sex couples suggests that the experience of separating and divorcing often comes with many psychological consequences. Such consequences can include increased depression, anxiety, loneliness, and drinking and substance use, as well as stress surrounding child custody (when children are involved) and the division of property, to name a few. Much less is known about the experiences of same-sex couples that seek to end their relationships (i.e., dissolution) or marriages (i.e., divorce), or about how their children fare in the wake of same-sex parental relationship dissolution or divorce. This entry focuses on these experiences, and, for ease, uses the term dissolution to refer to the ending of any long-term, committed relationship ...