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Riverside (CA) Press-Enterprise
October 16, 2007
Pg. 3
Divorce Rate: Although a drastic increase in couple breakups was feared, it hasn't happened, a study says.
By Ben Goad and Joe Vargo, The Press-Enterprise
WASHINGTON -- The strain of war on marriage has led to a gradual increase in divorce among couples separated by military duty, a study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Defense suggests.
The findings are surprising only because researchers expected to find a more significant spike in divorces, considering that military deployments have become longer, more frequent and more dangerous in the years since Sept 11, 2001.
"We see a slight increase, not the drastic increase that some would have expected," said UCLA social psychology professor Benjamin Karney, who spearheaded the study on behalf of The Rand Corporation.
The study, made public Monday during a briefing on Capitol Hill, was conducted because of concerns over media reports and other anecdotal evidence pointing to a link between divorce and war. The findings will be forwarded to David S. Chu, Defense Department undersecretary for personnel and readiness.
Defense officials did not return calls seeking comment on the findings.
Enlisted women
Researchers analyzed records from roughly 6 million men and women in all branches of the military. They looked at divorce rates from 1996 through 2005.
More dramatic than the subtle increase over time, Karney noted, was the higher percentage of enlisted women getting divorced.
Karney suggested it could be because of long-held social roles for women to "stand by" their spouses, while the same traditional standard doesn't exist for men.
While roughly 7.3 percent of married enlisted women were divorced in 2005 - as compared with 2.8 percent of enlisted men - the same general trends existed for male and female service members over the past decade. For both genders, divorce rates fell slightly during peacetime between 1996 and 2001.
The following years saw heightened military activity in Afghanistan and Iraq, and a gradual increase in divorces.
Locally, military psychologists and family counselors say they have noticed some soldiers feeling the stress of multiple and extended deployments but for the most part, they appear to be handling the tension.
Peter Morris, a family therapist at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, said Marines and their spouses are taking advantage of marriage and family counseling that is available. His staff of seven clinicians is not overwhelmed, he said.
'Pretty resilient'
The base near Palm Springs has not recorded an increase in domestic violence counseling, an obvious indicator of marital woes, Morris said. The installation does not track divorce statistics.
"Most people are pretty resilient," Morris said. "Some people have seen things that create trauma. I would not want to go through those experiences and don't know how you go through them and not be affected. But people seem to be weathering the stress pretty well."
Col. Chris Philbrick, garrison commander of the U.S. Army National Training Center at Fort Irwin near Barstow, said the base has not experienced an increase in divorce. He said Fort Irwin provides counseling for spouses, children and families of returning servicemen and servicewomen.
Lois Perez, a psychologist at the Loma Linda Veterans Administration HealthCare System in Loma Linda, said the VA is offering classes to spouses and loved ones coping with battlefield-related stress.
The classes encourage wives and husbands of service members affected by combat-related stress to get them into counseling.
October 16, 2007
Pg. 3
Divorce Rate: Although a drastic increase in couple breakups was feared, it hasn't happened, a study says.
By Ben Goad and Joe Vargo, The Press-Enterprise
WASHINGTON -- The strain of war on marriage has led to a gradual increase in divorce among couples separated by military duty, a study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Defense suggests.
The findings are surprising only because researchers expected to find a more significant spike in divorces, considering that military deployments have become longer, more frequent and more dangerous in the years since Sept 11, 2001.
"We see a slight increase, not the drastic increase that some would have expected," said UCLA social psychology professor Benjamin Karney, who spearheaded the study on behalf of The Rand Corporation.
The study, made public Monday during a briefing on Capitol Hill, was conducted because of concerns over media reports and other anecdotal evidence pointing to a link between divorce and war. The findings will be forwarded to David S. Chu, Defense Department undersecretary for personnel and readiness.
Defense officials did not return calls seeking comment on the findings.
Enlisted women
Researchers analyzed records from roughly 6 million men and women in all branches of the military. They looked at divorce rates from 1996 through 2005.
More dramatic than the subtle increase over time, Karney noted, was the higher percentage of enlisted women getting divorced.
Karney suggested it could be because of long-held social roles for women to "stand by" their spouses, while the same traditional standard doesn't exist for men.
While roughly 7.3 percent of married enlisted women were divorced in 2005 - as compared with 2.8 percent of enlisted men - the same general trends existed for male and female service members over the past decade. For both genders, divorce rates fell slightly during peacetime between 1996 and 2001.
The following years saw heightened military activity in Afghanistan and Iraq, and a gradual increase in divorces.
Locally, military psychologists and family counselors say they have noticed some soldiers feeling the stress of multiple and extended deployments but for the most part, they appear to be handling the tension.
Peter Morris, a family therapist at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, said Marines and their spouses are taking advantage of marriage and family counseling that is available. His staff of seven clinicians is not overwhelmed, he said.
'Pretty resilient'
The base near Palm Springs has not recorded an increase in domestic violence counseling, an obvious indicator of marital woes, Morris said. The installation does not track divorce statistics.
"Most people are pretty resilient," Morris said. "Some people have seen things that create trauma. I would not want to go through those experiences and don't know how you go through them and not be affected. But people seem to be weathering the stress pretty well."
Col. Chris Philbrick, garrison commander of the U.S. Army National Training Center at Fort Irwin near Barstow, said the base has not experienced an increase in divorce. He said Fort Irwin provides counseling for spouses, children and families of returning servicemen and servicewomen.
Lois Perez, a psychologist at the Loma Linda Veterans Administration HealthCare System in Loma Linda, said the VA is offering classes to spouses and loved ones coping with battlefield-related stress.
The classes encourage wives and husbands of service members affected by combat-related stress to get them into counseling.