No two individuals share an identical personality, and the same is true for a relationship: no two relationships are the same. Every individual is different, and each person brings a uniqueness that contributes to the dynamic of a relationship. In the not so distant past, due factors largely remaining unknown, (though many speculate it to be directly related to culturally and/ or socially enforced stigma) divorce was a relatively rare phenomenon in America. Even though the overall divorce rates appear to be declining, still, according to American Psychological Association about 40 to 50 percent of married couples in America end in divorce.
The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) conducted a study to better understand the cause for divorce in America. The study included a sample size of fifty-two people (twenty-one men and thirty-one women) who had been involved in a “prevention and relationship enhancement program” (PREP) that focused on teaching couples conflict resolution skills and effective communication strategies. The PREP course occurred before the couples were married, but the study surveyed the fifty-two individuals fourteen years after they had participated in PREP. The findings indicate the top four causes of divorce to be the following:
- 75% was due to a lack of commitment: Although marriage is often thought to be the ultimate commitment, an article published in Couples & Family Psychology reports the highest percentage of those of divorced is due to a lack of commitment.
- 59.6% was due to infidelity: the study found infidelity and extramarital affairs to be the second largest contributing factor and turning point, instigating the demise of marriages.
- 57.7% was due to excessive arguing: couples that lacked communication skills and/ or effective conflict resolution strategies were unable to wholly resolve conflicts and arguments, which were in turn left to fester and erode the relationship. As reported in the survey findings, “communication problems increased in frequency and intensity throughout their marriages, which at times seemed to coincide with lost feelings of positive connections and mutual support.”
- 36.1% was due to financial problems: though many couples did not explicitly identify financial difficulties as the primary reason for divorce, they did allude to the repercussions directly related to financial difficulties (e.g. relationship stress, relationship tension, etc.) to be contributing factors.
Nowadays, not only has divorce become largely normalized in American society but also it had been steadily increasing until 2019. The National survey results compiled from the American Community Survey data from the Census Bureau point to a slight decline in the divorce rates in the United States, asserting that in 2019 for every 1,000 marriages only 14.9 ended in divorce. This is the lowest divorce rate American has seen in the past 50 years, including lower than in 1970 when out of every 1,000 marriages 15 ended in divorce.
Disclaimer:
The information above is provided for the use of informational purposes only. The above content is not to be substituted for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment, as in no way is it intended as an attempt to practice medicine, give specific medical advice, including, without limitation, advice concerning the topic of mental health. As such, please do not use any material provided above as a means to disregard professional advice or delay seeking treatment.
