The general figure that gets tossed around in Washington is that about half of all marriages in America fail. All marriages have their share of ups and downs, but it appears that people from some professions have higher divorce rates than others.
MarketWatch estimates that people in the military were most likely to have their marriages fall apart by 30. When military personnel gets deployed, the divorce rates climb even higher:
- First-Line Enlisted Military Supervisors — 30%
- Air Force — 12.52%
- U.S. Navy — 8.9%
- Marines — 8.48%
One factor that puts additional strain on military marriages is mental health problems, particularly issues related to PTSD. Other military couples may struggle because of moving around too much, while also marrying far too young. The average age for divorce is 30 years old in the general population and couples in 41% of first marriages later divorce.
Today.com adds to this by pointing out that military divorce rates have been on the rise since 2001, while the civilian rate of divorce has been declining. When reunited, military people may struggle with adapting to changing roles in a non-combative environment. They may need to rebuild tools for communication, finances and intimacy. It may often take up to 12 months before they create a new routine in this environment.
Still, all is not lost. Retreats for military families often help deployed military personnel to reconnect with family when they return home. Unfortunately, no peer-reviewed studies have yet been published about how many marriages steer clear of divorce after couples or families spend time at retreats like these.