An empirical investigation of emotional reactions to divorce

Administered three personality tests to four groups (N = 74): (1) individuals who subjectively defined their marriages as good; (2) individuals who were undergoing marriage counseling; (3) individuals who had filed for divorce, but had not yet been to court; and (4) individuals who had been divorced between 6 and 12 months. These groups were selected to represent the various stages of the divorce process and thus constituted a cross-sectional design. Results indicated intensified feelings of depression, anxiety, and hostility as one entered marriage counseling. These feelings were maintained through the period of attaining the divorce; however, by the sixth to twelfth month after the divorce most of these negative feelings had disappeared.