Divorce pattern may be genetic, says study

There have been quite a few studies that have shown that children of divorced parents are more likely to get divorced themselves as compared to those who grew up with parents who remained married.

However, a new study suggests that the pattern may not hold true for adopted children.

According to the study, genetic factors are one of the basic explanations for divorce trends and the new findings could have far reaching implications for advice provided by marriage counsellors or therapists.

The yet to be published study, which can soon be seen in the upcoming issue Journal Psychological Science, was conducted by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University and Lund University in Sweden.

The researchers concluded that people who were adopted resemble their biological - but not adoptive - parents and siblings in their histories of divorce.

Co-author of the study, Dr Jessica Salvatore, assistant professor in the College of Humanities and Sciences at VCU said that they found consistent evidence that genetic factors primarily explained the intergenerational transmission of divorce.

Researchers say that the study’s findings are significant because it goes against the norm which suggests that offspring of divorced parents are more likely to get divorced themselves because they see their parents lacking in commitment or struggling to manage conflict.