The Risk Factors That Make Divorce More Likely

There are many factors that can make a marriage harder work than it needs to be and make it more likely that it ends in a divorce. You may or may not have control over many of these factors. Still, there are some steps you can take to strengthen your relationship and give you and your spouse a better chance at success.

Below are some of the risk factors that make divorce more likely:

• Divorced parents of your own: Statistics show that divorce is more common among people who have divorced parents. There are many hypotheses as to why this is, including learned behaviors and attitudes about marriage in general.
• Alcohol: Couples who have a large disparity in terms how much alcohol they consume are much more likely to have relationship issues, especially if one person is a heavy drinker and develops an alcohol problem.
• Age: Those who get married in their late teens and early 20s are much more likely to get divorced than people who get married a little later in life. In addition, people who get married after their early 30s are also more likely to get divorced, based on information from the Institute of Family Studies.
• Expensive weddings: In a 2015 study, Emory University researchers found women who had weddings that cost more than $20,000 were three-and-a-half times more likely to get divorced than those who spent between $5,000 and $10,000. People who spent less than $1,000 on their wedding were the least likely to get divorced.
• Timing of children: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, women who waited at least eight months to have a baby after their wedding were significantly more likely to reach their 15^th anniversary than those who had a baby before the marriage or within the first seven months after the wedding.

These are just a few examples of risk factors that could lead to divorce. Every marriage is different, so not everyone is affected by the same stressors in their relationships. If you need legal counsel as you approach a divorce, speak with a dedicated Long Island family law attorney at Bryan L. Salamone & Associates.