Are problems that contribute to divorce present at the start of marriage, or do they emerge over time?. (December 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Williamson, Hannah C.; Nguyen, Teresa P.; Bradbury, Thomas N.; Karney, Benjamin R.
• Is Part Of: Journal of social and personal relationships. Volume 33:Number 8(2016)
• Page Start: 1120
• Page End: 1134
• Publication Date: 2016-12
• Subjects: Divorce -- marriage -- relationship problems; Interpersonal relations -- Periodicals; Social interaction -- Periodicals; 302.05
• DOI: 10.1177/0265407515617705
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0265-4075

Abstract

Divorced individuals offer explanations for why their relationship ended, yet little is known about the development of these problems during the relationship. Problems that lead to divorce may exist at the beginning of the marriage (enduring dynamics model) or may develop over time (emergent distress model). We asked 40 divorced individuals about the reasons for their divorce and compared the development of problems that did and did not contribute to their divorce over the first few years of their marriage. Results support an emergent distress model for wives as they saw problems that lead to divorce increasing over time. Results for husbands indicated that they were less attuned to problems overall, suggesting that wives are the bellwether for relationship problems.