Going through a divorce is extremely difficult and previous research has highlighted the adverse effects that it can have on divorcees. A recent study in open-access journal Frontiers in Psychology is the first to examine health impacts immediately after the process. The study found that the mental and physical health of recent divorcees was worse than that of the general population and that higher levels of conflict predicted worse mental health, regardless of other factors. Understanding these effects could assist researchers in designing interventions that help divorcees to get back on their feet and avoid long-term repercussions.
Researchers have been examining the mental and physical effects, but might have missed an chance to correctly characterize these consequences, until today. It is often a protracted process, with many countries requiring a separation period before couples can apply for divorce. However, a long separation may allow psychological wounds to heal and assessing divorcees after such a period may underestimate their effect.
“Previous studies have not investigated the effects of divorce without extensive separation periods occurring before the divorce,” said Prof Gert Hald, of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. “We were able to study divorcees who had been granted a so-called ‘immediate’ divorce in Denmark and on average, these divorcees obtained a divorce within 5 days of filing for it.”
This allowed Hald and coworkers, such as Dr Søren Sander of this University of Copenhagen, to obtain ‘real time’ data on 1,856 latest divorcees, who completed questionnaires about their background, health and the process.
Unsurprisingly, the study demonstrated that a current process takes an emotional and physical toll. “The psychological and physical wellbeing of divorcees was significantly worse than the comparative background population immediately after divorce,” said Sander.
However, some interesting trends emerged from the information. For instance, among men, earning more and being younger predicted improved physical health, while getting more kids, obtaining a new spouse and even having more previous divorces was associated with better psychological health. Among women, earning more income, obtaining a new spouse and with fewer previous divorces was associated with greater physical health, while initiating the breakup and finding a new spouse predicted better emotional health.
However, one factor had a big impact on the divorcees — Conflict. “Across gender, higher degrees of divorce battle were found to predict worse mental health, even when accounting for additional socio-demographic variables and divorce traits,” said Sander.
So, how can the findings assist people to navigate the process with their health intact? Targeted interventions early throughout the procedure may be crucial. “We need evidence-based interventions that can help divorcees immediately following divorce,” said Hald. “These might include face-to-face or digital interventions that are designed to reduce the specific adverse mental and physical health effects of divorce. Not only would this be beneficial for divorcees, but it could also save money by countering the negative impacts of divorce on work-place productivity, sick days, doctor visits and use of health care facilities.”
In another recent study, the researchers developed an online digital solution called ‘Cooperation After Divorce’ The results of the latest study will help them to refine these approaches in the long run.