If you are married, chances are good that, at some point in time, the thought of divorce has crossed your mind, but what did you do once you had that thought? That’s exactly what researchers with the National Divorce Decision-Making Project wanted to know.
While there has been research on what leads to marital breakdown, very little is known about what actually leads people to consider divorce. As part of the study, 3,000 married people were surveyed in order to better understand what people are thinking when it comes to considering divorce.
Researchers wanted to know things such as: How long have they had these thoughts? Who do they talk to about their thoughts and feelings? What marital problems are they facing? What do they do to address their problems and how helpful are these efforts? How do they make the decision about divorce and whether or not to stay together?
Research results showed:
– Thoughts about divorce are common in our society. More than half of married individuals (ages 25-50) say they have had thoughts about divorce, either in the past or currently. Those thoughts are common well into the second decade of marriage.