Marriage and Family: Divorce

Divorce is a life-transforming experience for all parties involved. Long-time researcher-author Judith Wallerstein reported many of the children in her longitudinal study on divorce weren’t aware their parents were having serious problems; their parents' divorce marked the end of their childhood. Wallerstein says a family break-up is so detrimental to kids because "children identify not only with their mother and father as separate individuals, but with the relationship between them." From the child’s perspective, mother and father are a naturally inseparable unit.

Compared to children from intact homes, children of divorce are far more likely to struggle academically, engage in drug and alcohol use and other high-risk behaviors, commit suicide, experience psychiatric problems, live in poverty, and have a greater likelihood to divorce themselves. Thirty years of research conclusively shows its harm to children in virtually every measure. Studies support marital longevity as a vital component of good health for children and adults alike.