Texas families understand how difficult maintaining familial relationships can be when a couple with children decides that it is best to divorce. Everyone is under stress, and the feelings of hurt or resentment do not disappear overnight, unfortunately. Yet despite all of this, many parents are managing to remain cordial for the well-being of their children.
As USA Today explains, although there is a presumed hatred between couples during and after a divorce, a growing number of ex-spouses are working together to truly co-parent their children. This often means holidays are spent as a family together, rather than numerous dinners the kids need to shuffle between. But this is not limited to special occasions, as some exes can attest, although this is not possible for all divorcing couples. When there is abuse or one ex-spouse has begun a new relationship with a jealous partner, a friendly relationship may be difficult to achieve.
Yet new studies show that it could be worth the trouble, when possible, to remain cordial. According to reports from Reuters, children whose parents went through bitter divorces and remained out of touch were more likely to suffer ill health effects as adults. The study, conducted by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, exposed 201 adults in good health to a common cold virus. They were quarantined and monitored to see how their immune systems reacted over five days. The participants who went through their parents’ nasty divorces as children were more than three times as likely to be sick as participants with parents who are still together. The subjects who have divorced parents who remained on good terms did not have an increased likelihood of catching a cold. While this study does not claim to be proof of a cause and effect relationship, it is part of mounting evidence that links divorce with physiological health issues.
