Did your parents get divorced when you were young? Are you now wondering if you will follow in their footsteps in your own marriage?
You may. Studies have found that children whose parents split up do get divorced at a higher rate than children whose parents stayed together. There could be many reasons for this, and it may be as simple as children learning from their parents’ example. They may also feel like choosing to get a divorce is not as big of a deal as people who never saw it first-hand.
Some studies have also suggested that there is a genetic link. Researchers looked at 20,000 different people who had gone through the adoption process, and then they looked at the actions taken by both the parents who adopted them and their biological parents. They found that children tend to act more like their biological parents. If those parents got divorced, the children were more likely to do so as well, even if their adoptive parents stayed together.
Experts do not know for sure why this happens, but they believe that the genes passed down to the children make a difference. They could bring along personality traits, such as impulsive action or neuroticism. These traits may make it harder to sustain relationships, regardless of the environment the children actually grew up in.
Regardless of the reasons, the link is statistically fairly clear. Divorce does happen more often when children’s parents also ended their marriages. Those who decide to do so must know all of their rights and the legal steps they need to take.