Life Events That Increase Your Risk of Divorce
You’ve probably heard of studies that showed an increased risk of divorce after a job loss in the family or the death of a child. Those studies aren't exactly without merit. There are certain stressful life events that can test any marriage to the extreme. Not surprisingly, several months after the stressful event, a couple may find themselves consulting with a divorce lawyer.
Serious illness is one of the most stressful factors in a marriage. When one of the spouses develops a serious life-threatening condition, it places an immense stress on the marriage, and can even lead to divorce. Studies have found that when women are seriously ill, the divorce rate is much higher, than when it is the husbands who are seriously sick.
Unemployment is also a major risk factor for divorce. The loss of a job is a risk factor in any marriage, but seems to be an even bigger threat when it is the man who loses the job. Unemployment is accompanied by frustration, low self-esteem, low self-worth and other factors that can place stress on the marriage.
Couples who live apart from each other, like military couples, also have a higher risk of divorce. Long-distance marriages may be more difficult to work. One study of military families conducted in 2013 found that the risk of divorce was directly proportional to the length of the deployment.
The birth of a child is a joyful occasion for many but for others, unfortunately, it leads to pressure that that actually end in a divorce. This however is much more likely in those marriages in which only one spouse was keen on a child when the other did not want a child. Many parents are unable to cope with the stress and lack of sleep associated with parenthood, and find their marriage in trouble.