Posts Tagged ‘research’

Divorce Rates Highest in “Traditional Marriage” States

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

States that have banned gay marriage generally do so under the guise of protecting traditional marriage. Unfortunately for them, it seems that traditional marriage in these areas is actually the most at risk. A new study has revealed that while divorce rates are largely going down, they are dropping the most in states that have been more open towards gay marriage. The highest divorce rates are in the states that have outrightly banned gay marriage.

The lowest divorce rate in the nation is in Massachussetts, which was also one of the first states to legalize same sex unions. The seven states with the highest divorce rates have constitutional bans on gay marriage. San Francisco family attorneys are hoping this may affect the major federal court case on the matter this month.

While the person who conducted the research has said the results are statistically significant, he is also quick to point out that the results do not necessarily imply causation.

To read more about the findings, see the article on Newser. Image Via laverrue [Flickr]

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Living Together Before Marriage Can Increase Likelihood of Divorce

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

Conventional wisdom tells many people that they should live together before tying the knot so they can test the waters before making a full commitment. Unfortunately, a recent study has shown this method of thinking is flawed and that waiting just might help your marriage in the long run.

While living together before marriage was once considered scandalous, it is now a widely accepted practice –in fact, over 70% of couples do co-habitate before getting hitched.

Researchers believe the increased divorce rate could be a result of couples getting married for the wrong reasons. “We think that some couples who move in together without a clear commitment to marriage may wind up sliding into marriage partly because they are already cohabiting,” said University of Denver researcher Galena Rhoades. San Francisco family attorneys say other reasons couples may opt to get married include a joint lease, mutual ownership of a pet, or an unexpected pregnancy.

Of subsets of the couples who moved in before marriage, the study found that the reason the couple moved in also affected the happiness of the couple. Those who claimed financial reasons and a desire to spend more time together had overall happier marriages and fewer divorces than those who wanted to test out living together before marriage. “Cohabiting to test a relationship turns out to be associated with the most problems in relationships,” Rhoades said. “Perhaps if a person is feeling a need to test the relationship, he or she already knows some important information about how a relationship may go over time.”

To read more about these findings, see the article on Livescience.com. Image Via dsearls [Flickr].

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Marriage and Divorce Affect Your Health

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009

merfamStudies in the past have shown that marriage may improve your health, and now a recent study shows that divorce may actually harm your health. Researchers examined the health records of more than 9000 adults between the ages of 51 and 61 and discovered that those who have gone through divorces or been widowed have 20% more chronic health problems than those who have not. The damage to health never seems to improve, even after remarriage.

Experts believe the reason for these health differences come down to depression, anxiety and other psychological issues that can greatly affect your health.

Researchers do point out that trying to avoid a divorce solely for health reasons may be a bad move though. Realistically, if you are greatly unhappy in your marriage, prolonging a divorce may still cause you great depression and anxiety. In these cases, you will still likely suffer the negative health effects.

“I would argue that if you can’t fix a marriage you’re better off out of it,” said Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, an Ohio State scientist who is an author of much of the research. “With a divorce you’re disrupting your life, but a long-term acrimonious marriage also is very bad.”

San Francisco divorce attorneys often recommend anyone considering a divorce go through mediation, the least aggressive form of divorce, and always speak with a doctor and psychologist as well. It is also recommended to continue eating right, exercising and to learn how to exercise proper stress management techniques while going through the divorce process.

To learn more about this ground breaking study, read the article in the Herald Tribune. Image Via merfam [Flickr]

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