Many people wonder if there is a way to foresee whether a marriage will end in divorce. These concerns are among the reasons why so many Alberta couples draft pre-nuptial agreements, attend premarital counselling and keep family lawyers available in case of a breakup. New research suggests that, among the environmental reasons for divorce, there may be a genetic reason that certain people struggle to maintain their marriages.
The research was commissioned after a stream of studies showed that children of divorce were more likely to have a divorce themselves. According to those studies, daughters of divorced parents are 60 percent more likely to separate from their own spouses. Sons have a 35 percent higher rate.
While many people attribute this correlation to the normalization of divorce in a child’s life, the new study showed that adopted children did not experience a similar increase in divorce. This suggests that there may be a genetic component. This understanding could change how Alberta marriage counsellors approach marital issues, as well as how children are supported during and after divorce.
Parents are often concerned about how their children will cope after the dissolution of a marriage. New research, including this study, can give parents more insight into how the divorce may affect their children and how to support them through the change. Another study offers a silver lining for parents, showing that children’s well-being and happiness can increase when parents divorce if the marriage had a lot of conflict. Parents with concerns about child custody, property distribution or other family law issues during a divorce should contact an Alberta lawyer.
Source: huffingtonpost.ca, “Divorce Could Be Genetic, Claims New Study“, Oct. 5, 2017