Obviously, every divorce is different, as each person’s relationship is different. But based on numerous studies done over the course of decades, psychologists have been able to determine some risk factors that make it more likely a person will get divorced in their lifetime.
Here’s a quick look at some examples of these common risk factors.
- Divorced parents: Numerous studies show children of divorced parents are more likely to get divorced themselves someday.
- Age at marriage: People who get married particularly young (teens and early 20s) are more likely to get divorced than people who get married in their mid-20s to mid-30s. Meanwhile, people who get married after age 40 once again see an increased risk of divorce.
- Alcohol or substance use: Approximately half of couples who have mismatched substance use habits get divorced within their first decade of marriage. So if one person in the marriage is a heavy drinker and the other is not, that marriage is at much greater risk due to this disparity.
- Cost of wedding: The more expensive a wedding, the more likely it is that the couple will get divorced at some point. Couples who spent more than $20,000 were three and a half times as likely to get divorced as couples who spent $5,000 to $10,000 in a 2015 study.
- Speed with which you have children: One study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that people who had a baby at least eight months after their wedding were significantly more likely to make it to their 15th anniversary than people who had a baby within their first seven months of marriage, or before the wedding. This is most likely because in the former case, the prospect of a new or coming child did not hasten marriage plans.
For more information about risk factors of divorce, contact an experienced Minneapolis divorce lawyer at Appelhof, Pfeifer & Hart, P.A.