Abstract
The focus of this article is on the disruptive potential of divorce. Stress experiences in two life-span samples were compared. The first sample included persons who had recently separated from their spouses, while the second included persons in the midst of such normative transitions as marriage, having a first child, departure of children from the family home, and retirement. The men and women in the divorce sample not only reported more negative life experiences in the recent past but also reported more positive experiences as well. The results support previous suggestions in the literature that divorce has within it the potential for growth as well as decrement.
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Author's Note: This research was supported by National Institute on Aging Grant AG00002 and by Langley Porter Institute, University of California, San Francisco, Biomedical Research Support Grant.
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Chiriboga, D.A. Marital separation and stress. J Fam Econ Iss 2, 461–470 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01082679
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01082679