The Pew Research Center recently released a study that seems to indicate divorce is contagious. If your friends get divorced, you are at a higher risk of divorce, according to the sociologists involved. The study followed thousands of people for more than three decades in Massachusetts and found that people are 75% more likely to become divorced if a friend gets divorced. Those at highest risk of divorce were people whose friends got divorced. People who had friends who themselves had friends who divorced were also at an increased risk, but not as high as those with direct contact with the divorcing people. The study implies that the more contact you have with people who are getting a divorce, the more likely it is that you will get a divorce.
The study also offered some other insights on divorce:
- People who are divorced and remarry are more likely to choose partners who have also been divorced. The common experience of divorce can bring people closer. It’s also more likely that as people age, the single people in their age group have a higher chance of being divorced.
- Getting a divorce makes a person socially less popular, meaning they have fewer friends after the divorce than before. This is not surprising though since friends of a divorcing couple tend to choose sides and also people who are divorced have a tendency to drift away from their married friends.
- People who had the most friends were the least likely to get divorced. The study suggested that having a larger social support group strengthened marriages.
If you are getting a divorce, what matters the most is getting the answers, support, and legal representation you need. At DeTorres & DeGeorge, we are ready to help you through the entire process in Annandale, New Jersey and the surrounding areas. Call us at 908-284-6005 to schedule a consultation with our experienced attorneys.