These Are The Most Common Causes of Divorce, According to Actual Ex-Couples

Couples don’t marry each other thinking about how they’ll eventually get divorced. But because of a variety of reasons, a sizeable number of them will end their relationship in that way. According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2.9 people out of 1,000 would eventually get divorced with the current marriage rate being 6.9 per 1,000 people.

The good news is that this number is significantly smaller compared to that of previous decades. But some only attribute this to the fact that people today are reportedly less likely to even marry in the first place. Despite all these though, it’s still a matter of interest exactly what reasons are behind people’s decision to end their marriage.

Common Factors

Around 44% of the participants said that communication problems were one of the reasons for the dissolution of their marriage

This is exactly the topic researchers pursued when they surveyed 2,371 participants, who have recently gotten separated from their partner. They were asked the reasons why they and their spouses divorced.

The results yielded by the research showed the top response to be a lack of intimacy or love. Around 47% of the participants cited this reason with one oo both members of the relationship falling out of love.

Following this reason is communication problems. The researchers elaborated on how this might mean that each spouse had their own way of communicating that differs from the others’. This is then followed by a lack of trust, sympathy, and respect and growing apart placing third and fourth respectively.

The latter, according to the researchers, might have resulted from each individual’s developing of new values or life goals that differ from what they had around the time of the marriage.

Surprising Upside

An estimated 2.3 million couples wed in the United States each year

Another interesting thing that the researchers observed from the results of their survey is that the reasons cited tended to be on the personal and emotional side. They then noted how different this was compared to the reasons mentioned by people in previous years, which were mostly rooted in a spouse’s behavior from addiction to violence.

Today, society is reportedly seeing a decline in behavioral motives for divorce as psychological and emotional divorce motives are continuing to rise. The researchers also said that people today put more importance on personal satisfaction when it comes to romantic relationships, and sees divorce as an acceptable option when romance has gone awry.

Preventing Problems

Needle emphasizes the importance of sharing feelings when it comes to couples connecting

Meanwhile, Rachel Needle, a doctor of psychology, enumerates the telltale signs of trouble in a relationship. Unhappiness, spending less time together, being less affectionate with each other and shortness of temper with one’s partner are some of the red flags that people should be wary of.

She also suggested ways couples can address these issues and prevent problems. The expert suggests people spend at least 10 minutes each day to connect. She notes though that topics like work or the kids should be off-limits and that the focus should be on getting to know each other again.