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ERIC Number: EJ768658
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007-Aug
Pages: 18
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-2445
EISSN: N/A
A Comparison of High- and Low-Distress Marriages that End in Divorce
Amato, Paul R.; Hohmann-Marriott, Bryndl
Journal of Marriage and Family, v69 n3 p621-638 Aug 2007
We used data from Waves 1 and 2 of the National Survey of Families and Households to study high- and low-distress marriages that end in divorce. A cluster analysis of 509 couples who divorced between waves revealed that about half were in high-distress relationships and the rest in low-distress relationships. These 2 groups were not artifacts of the timing of the interview or of measurement error. Irrespective of marital quality, couples who divorced shared many risk characteristics, such as having divorced parents. Individuals in high-distress marriages reported increases in happiness following divorce, whereas those in low-distress marriages reported declines in happiness. These results suggest two basic motivations to divorce: poor relationship quality and a weak commitment to marriage.
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: National Survey of Families and Households
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A