Divorce and Stress

While divorce is common, it is not benign. Marital separation and divorce consistently rank in the top five of most stressful life events. According to research, women are more at risk of a major depression after a divorce, but men are more at risk of experiencing their first onset of major depression, according to a study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

In a 2006 study published by the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, researchers found that the stress of divorce can deteriorate a women's health. Iowa State University sociology professor Fred Lorenz and his colleagues made this discovery through interviews with more than 400 mothers of adolescent children, including 80 women who had just gone through a divorce. The interviews started in the early 1990s and were repeated a decade later.

When the interviews started, the recently divorced women were more stressed-out than the women who were still married. "Immediately after a divorce, stress levels jump," Lorenz says. "There are an awful lot of adjustments that people have to make." The first year after divorce is a time of rebuilding after a time of survival. It is difficult financially and emotionally.

Men also report increases in stress, especially during the divorce process. The desire for men to get it (the divorce) over with as quickly as possible to relieve this stress often results in them making decisions that aren't true to what they want or need financially or as a parent to their children.

Over the next few weeks, this blog will address why divorce is stressful, how the stress can affect you and your children's lives, and how to cope with the stress of divorce and reduce the stress of it for your children. This week, take the time to become aware of what stress symptoms you are experiencing. For a complete list of symptoms of stress, follow this link: http://www.ohr.cornell.edu/benefits/eap/symp_checklist.pdf

Make a call to a counselor to help you cope. Even a just few sessions can help you start feeling like your best self again and get you through this process the best you can!