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Divorce and Effect: Its Emotional, Physical, Financial and Societal Impact

Divorce is one of the most heart wrenching events an individual must endure. Considering that 40% of marriages in the United States end in divorce, it is a sad reality for millions of individuals.

The effect of divorce touches many areas of a person’s life, such as emotional, financial, and physical. The financial aspect of divorce can be staggering.  Divorce leads to two households existing on one income. When children are involved, even with child support, financial hardships usually arise. Women more often than men are granted custody of the children after a divorce. In some instances, this reduces their ability to secure high-paying employment.

Divorce may increase financial hardship when child support is not received, or the non-custodial parent does not feel that they have an obligation toward their children. The government does provide a welfare system for divorced parents and their dependent children; resulting in even harsher consequences of divorce and its effect on society as a whole.

Divorce and its Effect on the Whole Family

The grieving process that follows any loss happens in divorce as well. The dissolution of a marriage is a death of sorts and those going through a divorce grieve.  Depression and anxiety often follow on the heels of a divorce and affect all parties involved, including the children of the union.

The physical implications of divorce are somewhat controversial. There have been studies that have shown a positive correlation between divorce and incidence rates of stroke, cancer, parasitic diseases, acute infectious diseases, and digestive and respiratory illnesses. It was even shown that married cancer patients are more likely to recover than cancer patients who were divorced. Overall, divorced men have lower life expectancies than married men. Divorce does have a physical impact, although to exactly what extent is hotly debated.

Much of the research on the effects of divorce has centered on the children of divorce.  When parents decide to divorce, the effects on their children are numerous. Just a few examples of what the research has discovered are:

• The best indicator of teen suicide is parental divorce and living in a single parent home. 
• College attendance is 60% lower for children of divorce than those from intact homes. 
• In ratings by parents and teachers on peer relationships, hostility toward adults, withdrawal, and aggression, children whose parents were divorced performed more poorly than children from homes that consisted of both parents. 
• Children of divorce have a higher incidence of depression. 

Divorce and effect touches every area of a couple’s life, most of all their children. Its effects leave an imprint emotionally, physically and financially.