Divorce, effects on adults

Negative Effects of Divorce

Divorce is a stressful significant life event that represents loss and transition. One loses a valued relationship and the emotional and material resources provided by that relationship. This loss requires numerous adjustments as one transitions from a married to a single lifestyle. As with any change, an individual may encounter feelings of anxiety, insecurity, and doubt. Divorce also requires individuals to manage responsibilities (household tasks, childcare duties, financial matters, etc.) that one's spouse may have previously handled. These additional duties can serve as daily hassles that can be further sources of stress. In general, the accumulation of stress associated with divorce can have a negative impact on the well-being of those affected.

Accordingly, scientists have found that the well-being of divorced adults is substantially lower than that of married adults. When compared to married adults, divorced adults have lower rates of life satisfaction and happiness; higher rates of depression, anxiety, and acute and chronic disease; higher likelihood of alcohol abuse, suicide, and death; more social isolation; and lower economic stability and wealth. Divorced adults also have higher rates of institutionalization in correctional facilities, mental institutions, hospitals, and convalescent homes than married adults. The negative effects of a divorce subside after a few years for some, but for others they persist indefinitely. The emotional support provided by repartnering or remarrying is largely credited for resolving the negative effects of divorce for most adults.

Divorce negatively affects the financial stability and wealth of most individuals. However, compared [Page 459]to men, women are more likely to be affected due to the higher likelihood of maintaining custody of the children, the low levels of child support most receive, and the gender disparities in salaries and employment opportunities. Furthermore, married women are more likely to be unemployed and responsible for childcare and household duties, which negatively impact their professional development and earning potential when they return to the workforce postdivorce. Men fare better after a divorce than women do because their new households are generally smaller and because they do not contribute the same proportion of their income to their former households after the divorce as they did prior. In addition, being married and having children does not negatively affect their career advancement. In general, men do not equally share in the domestic chores; therefore, they are more likely to remain continuously employed and thereby able to consistently sharpen their professional skills and protect their earning potential.

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