Scientists and medical professionals have long believed that there is a connection between emotional health and physical health, and many studies have borne that out. A recent study made a connection between divorce and children’s health with a surprising result. The data makes a compelling case for divorcing British Columbia parents to be extremely mindful of how they treat each other around their kids and the importance of co-parenting harmoniously.
The study involved 201 healthy adults, some of whom had parents who stopped talking to each other after a bad divorce when they were kids, some whose parents continued to communicate after their divorce, and some whose parents did not divorce. Each member of the study group lived in quarantine for five days, and they were all exposed to a common cold virus. Researchers monitored their health and then evaluated their findings.
Adults from the bad divorce group were three times more likely to catch the cold than were the adults from the communicative divorce group. In fact, the adults in the second group were no more likely to get sick than the adults from the non-divorce group were. Members of the first group showed an increased level of inflammatory response to the virus than either of the remaining subjects. It appears that the immune system suffers long-term effects from exposure to conflict at a young age, and that the effects can last for several decades.
While many parents are rightly concerned about how their divorce might affect their children, they’re probably focused on their children’s emotions, not their physical health. Evidently, the two are inextricably intertwined. Any mom or dad facing a divorce in British Columbia might want to speak with a lawyer. An experienced lawyer can suggest ways to reduce the strain of divorce on everyone involved, and help see a person through this difficult time.
Source: The Huffington Post, “An Ugly Divorce Could Affect Kids’ Health For Years: Study“, June 6, 2017