Researchers contagious divorces in friendships

Divorces socially contagious according to the study

02/11/2013

According to a study, divorces are highly contagious. If, for example, a circle of friends can divorce, this increases their own risk by 75 percent. Married friends could rebalance the danger.

Highly contagious divorces
It has long been known that divorce and the associated stress can lead to enormous health problems. Also the circle of friends is usually involved in the problems. Like one soon in the journal „Social forces“ However, according to the study, divorces are also highly contagious. Scientists led by Rose McDermott of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, have found this out on the basis of long-term data from the 1948 ongoing Framingham Heart Study.

Divorces from friends increase the risk enormously
Researchers analyzed data from more than 10,000 Americans surveyed over two generations. If good friends divorced, according to the study increase their own risk by 75 percent. For divorces in the circle of acquaintances, the increased risk still amounts to 33 percent. And this, although it was irrelevant how far the friends lived apart from each other. For the effect is crucial, whether the friendship is perceived as relatively close.

Social contagion
With the data could even show that a divorce also affect the friends of friends, even if they often did not know the divorce couple. However, such theses are the „social contagion“ not really new. Other studies have also shown that the weight of the friends influence their own, that they can motivate babies of siblings to their own, and that later on divorced children would divorce themselves more frequently.

Reduced risk of infection with children
However, the scientists put their findings into perspective by pointing out that the contagion effect would be significantly lower for those with children. And they are all the less vulnerable, the more children in the family are. In addition, high popularity levels lower the risk of divorce when others do, as well.

Married friends balance risk
It is wrong, however, to end friendship for divorced people from contagious fear. As McDermott said, friends could help save a vulnerable relationship. And it was comforting to know that the phenomenon described also works the other way around. So the risk would be rebalanced by enough married friends. (Ad)