"I mean, I don't think they'll ever get divorced. Does that make it a good marriage?" (Another Marriage, pg. 22)

According to the CDC, the current divorce rate is just 2.3 per 1,000. Though the divorce rate is declining (as is the marriage rate), divorce still affects hundreds of thousands of families every year. Families with children face specific challenges when going through this huge life change. The process of divorce can affect children in many different ways, and because the failure rate of second marriages is even higher than first marriages, children may often experience multiple separations and divorces during their life - just like in Another Marriage.

In Another Marriage, Jo is an infant during Nick and Sunny's divorce. Research shows divorce at this age has unique effects on a child. When a child grows up in a stressful setting, their immune system and body’s stress response systems may not develop normally. Additionally, this unstable environment can make it more difficult for children to develop emotionally. Babies can't fully understand what is happening but can still sense the tension. Babies that are affected by this tension are prone to becoming irritable and clingy, expressing emotional outbursts, and possibly even regressing or showing signs of developmental delay.

Divorce can cause long-term psychological consequences that differ for every child. Children of divorce may be at increased risk for mental health problems and behavioral issues and are more likely to struggle in school. Research says the more parents fight with each other (before, during, and after the divorce), the more psychological problems a child may experience.

Media tends to focus on the negative effects of divorce on children, but not all the research is bleak. [Some research reports](https://legaljobs.io/blog/children-of-divorce-statistics/#:~:text=most striking ones.-,Fascinating Family Separation Statistics (Editor's Pick),being raised without their fathers.) that children of divorce develop remarkable resilience due to their experiences. Divorce is challenging for children, but parents who approach the process with love and careful attention can mitigate some of the aforementioned effects.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2s1yMabTfL0eQ9DJUznzLV?si=25f3ea2a43404145

https://youtu.be/cKcNyfXbQzQ?si=iZe02ttgYus35ZCj

<aside> ℹ️ Dramaturgical research prepared by Emma Sipora Tyler (for educational purposes)

</aside>