What happens to life satisfaction before and after divorce?
People who divorce begin to report less satisfaction with life up to six years prior to the divorce. There is a steady decline in satisfaction which reaches its lowest point about 1 year prior to the actual divorce (couples may have already separated in many of these instances around this time). From the divorce to four years after the divorce, satisfaction increases, but by five years it has leveled off and is still lower than during the early stages of marriage. Are there differences between men and women? Yes, the findings seem to indicate that men are more dissatisfied than women during the reaction period (3 years before marriage and the year of divorce). Divorced men remain less satisfied with life than divorced women in the years after divorce. What about the effects of remarriage? Remarriage substantially increased adults’ life satisfaction following divorce. Divorced men who get remarried do not get as much of an increase in satisfaction. What about satisfaction of these adult
