Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Kids Of Divorced Parents at Increased Risk Of Suicide? What do you guys think?


Like you needed another reason? 

Yet another study has come out on the risks of divorce. 

This time, the University Of Toronto studied almost 7,000 adults, almost 700 of which were females who were younger than 18 when their parents divorced. 

The study's results are nothing short of alarming, to me at least. 

The study claims that men whose parents divorced when they were children were three times more likely to consider suicide than other men whose parents were not divorced by the time they reached adulthood.

The study's findings were that adult daughters whose parents divorced when they were children were 83% more likely to seriously consider suicide than girls whose parents stayed married.Women whose parents had already divorced by the time they were 18 fared better than women whose parents divorced when they were older.

The link between divorce and suicidal thoughts was particularly strong for men who experienced extremely unpleasant childhood stressors, such as parental addiction and unemployment, as well as physical abuse. 

The study shows that divorce is significantly harder on boys whose parents divorce when they are young. This is surprising to me. I would have always thought that divorce would be harder on girls. 

With two little boys in my life, and a divorce rate greater than 50% in this country, this is particularly alarming to me.

What do you guys think? 

Is there any merit to this, or is it crap? 

You can check out this blog from the NY Times to learn more about this study.

2 comments:

  1. It's hard to argue or get on my high horse with zero research to back up my opinion, but I'd want to measure the "way" in which the divorces were dealt with - and I'm sure there is no way to do that. It would be almost impossible.

    Everyone reacts to situations differently, and I think the relationship with the parents are at the core - whether they are together or not, it's whether or not they can be open with them about their insecurities and concerns. Boys bottle things up and it eats away at them. As my mother likes to put it: They carry that shit around like a 50lb bag on their shoulders. I think it might be a bit too easy to assume that it's always because of a divorce. As you mentioned, the divorce rate is so high, we can blame a lot of things on it; how about obesity? Sure. Depression? Why not. Pre-mature death? Of course! ... see where I'm heading? lol.

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  2. Naturally. As one of them, I can attest.

    It's harder on boys because 9 times out of 10, the male role model disappears or is far less available.."parental alienation", indifferent/deadbeat dads, etc. Society is harder on males..not that it's easy on anyone, but...when you look at education statistics, employment statistics, suicide rates, and so on, it's plainly the greatest disadvantage to the gender that's subconsciously expected to be immovable, to act more than to feel..much less express those feelings. This will be no wake up call to selfish parents who only think of weddings, not what marriage itself entails. "In sickness & in health, yeah yeah, yadda yadda, I'm getting married not because I WANT to, but because it's what I'm SPOSEDTA do". They'll still get divorces even when clerics or mental health professionals wave this in front of their face and tell them they may likely be condemning their kids. When people get married, and have kids, they should not even CONSIDER divorce until those kids are past their most formative years. Beyond physically abusive spouses, I don't care their excuces..divorce may be hard on parents, but usually often spells doom and disaster for kids younger than 18. The worst offenders in my opinion are parents with children who divorce when they grew up with both a mother and father.

    Vows mean nothing when people no longer fear god..when they no longer fear god, they begin to make themselves gods. Recipe for disaster, the clay feet of false idols are beginning to break. Unchecked narcissism is beginning to take its toll.

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