There is more to divorce than the actual legal proceedings, initiated by a Las Vegas divorce lawyer, to end the marriage. Often one party experiences, or both parties experience, a wide range of psychological and emotional responses that tend to reflect how each party will act throughout the legal aspects of the divorce.
If the couple is not in agreement about the divorce, things tend to become hostile and more problematic. On the other hand, if both parties know their marriage is at an end, no matter whether they are yet willing to accept it, things tend to be a bit more amicable.
Psychological Factors
While psychological factors can be associated with emotional factors, it is important to first understand how these factors affect people involved in a divorce. The security of having a partner that you can trust and rely upon is suddenly gone. Depending on how long the couple has been married, this person could have been their best friend. Further, one person may have stopped associating with their friends and relatives at the request of their spouse because it was not conducive to the marriage.
However, now that the marriage is ending, one spouse might feel alienated, alone, and all by herself or himself. Plus, regardless of the support from friends, neighbors, and relatives, both people have to come to terms with the fact their lives are going to change. They are no longer going to have the financial benefit of their spouse’s income. In cases where one spouse worked and the other stayed at home, the stay-at-home spouse is going to have to take steps to re-enter the workforce.
Not to mention, in situations where one spouse may be entitled to spousal support payments, the payee is also going to experience an impact to their income and not have as much available to pay for their living expenses. All of these factors and changes lead to emotional responses experienced by both parties, even in amicable divorces.
Emotional Factors
The range of emotions experienced by people during separation and divorce largely depends upon whether the couple mutually agrees to get a divorce or whether one person initiates the process through their divorce lawyer in Las Vegas. In very few cases does the married couple decide simultaneously, “Let’s get a divorce.”
Rather, what typically occurs is one person has felt like the marriage is no longer working, and has already started picturing a life without the other spouse. When that person is served divorce papers, it tends to lead to a whole array of emotions, including:
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- Fear
- Anger
- Hatred
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Stress
Quite frequently, experiencing a divorce when one was not prepared or not expecting it is likened to losing a loved one who has passed away. It is not uncommon to experience the same emotional states and stages of grief.
How to Get Through a Divorce
Whether you were the one who started the divorce proceedings or were served papers from a divorce attorney in Las Vegas, you need to start thinking about yourself and making your needs a top priority. Many people find it beneficial to find a qualified therapist to talk to for both emotional and psychological support.
Trained therapists can help you develop short term and long term goals, provide guidance on reaching them, and help you start planning your new life. When you are able to start gaining a renewed sense of confidence, along with the encouragement you need, you will survive the divorce and be that much stronger of a person.
The Financial Impacts of Divorce
Depending on whether there is a legally binding, prenuptial agreement in place will determine the financial impacts of your divorce. Courts often consider any assets, debts, property, and investments incurred during the course of the marriage, regardless of who was responsible for acquiring them. In most cases, there is a 50/50 division of all marital assets, including the marital home.
Beyond the division of marital assets and debts, other financial impacts one could experience are:
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- Having to find a job and re-enter the workforce.
- Paying for educational and job skills training courses.
- Not having as much money as when married.
- Having to pay child support payments and/or supposal support payments.
- Not having sufficient resources to cover personal living expenses.
- Having to find a second part-time job to earn more income.
Before your divorce is finalized, it is a good idea to sit down and prepare a new monthly budget reflecting financial obligations you will need to cover on your own. If necessary, you may want to take steps to cut expenses and adjust your spending habits to ensure you will be prepared for the added financial responsibilities.
How Children Are Affected by Divorce
In cases where children are involved in divorce proceedings, they are also affected by the outcomes. The psychological and emotional responses children display are directly related to their age, maturity level, and their feelings toward their parents.
For example, if they have an affinity toward one parent over the other, they tend to be more supportive of that parent. On the other hand, if their affinity is equally balanced between both parents, the divorce could be harder on them, since they can feel like they are losing one of their parents. In some cases, the child might blame themselves for the reason their parents are getting divorced.
Some of the more noticeable signs your child is having problems related to your divorce, include, but are not limited to:
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- Emotional Outbursts
- Bed Wetting
- Crying for No Apparent Reason
- Refusing to Obey Established Rules
- Shutting Themselves Off from Both Parents
- Becoming More Defiant
- Running Away
- Challenging Parental Authority
Counselling and therapy with a qualified professional are recommended for children who are having difficulties accepting their parents are getting divorced and accepting the changes this will have on their life.
How Parents Can Help Children
Parents should be open and willing to discuss certain aspects of the divorce with their children. It is vital to reinforce that the reason for the divorce has nothing to do with the children. Children tend to have concerns about their future, like which parent they will live with, where they will go to school, and so on. Taking time to alleviate their concerns, while letting them know both parents equally love them, can make the process easier for them.
It is worth mentioning, in messy divorces parents need to refrain from putting the other person down in front of the children. It is better to work through disputes regarding custody, visitation, and support with your Las Vegas custody lawyer, and leave these issues out of the home.
Your children should never be your sounding board about what the other parent has done or said that has you upset. Attempting to use the children as leverage or swaying their opinion about their other parent not only hurts them, but could just as easily backfire, resulting in your children disliking or resenting you even more than the other parent.
Statistics About Divorce
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- You might be surprised to learn women are more likely the one to file for divorce with a Las Vegas divorce attorney, as they divorce twice as often as men.
- Men usually get remarried faster than women.
- 50% of first marriages end in divorce.
- 67% of second marriages end in divorce.
- 50% of children have divorced parents.
- 90% of women have primary custody of their children.
- Men who have joint legal custody of their children, and who take an active role in parenting, tend to remain a part of their children’s lives and are more willing to pay child support payments on time, and they want child care costs responsibly and evenly divided.
- Men will invest more time and effort into trying to save the marriage than women.
- Women recover faster emotionally and physiologically after a divorce because they tend to rely upon support systems throughout the process.
- Many women notice an increase in self-esteem after a divorce due to the new roles and responsibilities they take on.
60% of divorced women with children are below current poverty guideline levels.
Contact McFarling Law Group today for more information about prenuptial agreements, filing for divorce, child support and child custody issues, and other family law matters.
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