Going through a divorce is extremely challenging and previous research has highlighted the adverse effects that it can have on divorcees.
In a new study, researchers found that the mental and physical health of recent divorcees was worse than that of other people and that higher levels of conflict predicted worse mental health.
The research was conducted by a team at the University of Copenhagen.
Divorce 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 impact.
Previous studies have not investigated the effects of divorce without extensive separation periods occurring before the divorce.
In the study, the team was able to examine 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.
They obtained ‘real-time’ data on 1,856 very recent divorcees, who completed questionnaires about their background, health, and their divorce.
Unsurprisingly, the study showed that a recent divorce takes an emotional and physical toll.
However, some interesting trends emerged from the data.
For instance, among men, earning more and being younger predicted better physical health, while having more children, having a new partner, and even having more previous divorces was linked to better mental health.
Among women, earning more money, having a new partner, and having fewer previous divorces were linked to better physical health while initiating the divorce and having a new partner predicted better mental health.
However, one factor had a big influence on the divorcees — conflict.
Higher levels of divorce conflict were found to predict worse mental health, even when accounting for other socio-demographic factors.
So, how can the findings help people to navigate divorce with their health intact?
The team says targeted interventions early during the process may be key.
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 the use of health care facilities.
In another recent study, the researchers developed an online digital solution called ‘Cooperation After Divorce’ that helps divorcees to significantly reduce such adverse mental and physical health effects.
The results of this latest study will help them to refine such approaches in the future.
One author of the study is Prof Gert Hald of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.
The study is published in Frontiers in Psychology.
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