It is well known that contentious, litigated divorces often have a negative effect  on an individual’s mental and emotional health; however, studies suggest that for U.S. Veterans, the impact can be even more profound. According to Attorney Ashley-Nicole Russell’s Book, The Cure for Divorce Culture, “Divorce is not a single event but a complex series of changing family relationships, which begins in the failing marriage, continues through the often-chaotic period of the marital rupture and its immediate aftermath, and continues further, often over several years of disequilibrium within the family.” (Russell, 63). Between deployments, prolonged separations, and high-stress environments, military families experience more stress on average than other individuals, which takes a toll on mental and physical health. When marital difficulties are added to this equation, the emotional distress can often intensify. 

While serving in the U.S.  military can be rewarding, it can also cause severe strain on one’s mental and physical health. According to a study taken by National Library of Medicine (NLM) where they randomly selected participants which “include those who are active duty, reserve, and national guard personnel from all five service branches who voluntarily agreed to complete follow up surveys approximately every 3 years.” (Wang et al., 2015). This study was designed shortly after the 9/11 attack with the purpose to assess the short and long-term mental health outcomes of service members. The study’s findings revealed that veterans experience higher mental health strain than everyday individuals which also include a higher risk of suicide, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression. . Some U.S. service members face an increased risk due to constant prolonged periods away from home and family, heightened exposure to combat, and having a hard time transitioning back from military to civilian. Furthermore, these individuals were also found to be at higher risk for physical health concerns such as hypertension, diabetes, and weight changes.  

The National Library of Medicine indicated that surveys were sent out to all participants who self-reported data on the questionnaire. Once these surveys were collected, a report was made showing the before and after and the differences made between the time frames of when they were collected. The results of this study showed that while deployed, 5.3% (1,545 individuals) of service members became divorced and of those statistics, most were male, between the age of 56 and 65, with a college education, and had been recently deployed/active duty members.  The study also showed that, out of the 1,545 U.S. service members who have recently divorced, there was a significant spike in new-onset PTSD, binge drinking, hypertension, and moderate weight gain. “These data suggest that recently divorced service members should be screened for mental health and behavioral risk factors to improve their overall health and readiness. Given the negative health repercussions of divorce, future studies should identify factors associated with divorce in the military setting to reduce the development of these outcomes.”(Wang et al., 2015).

Divorce alone can cause many new on-set mental health disorders that include anxiety, feeling of anger/regret, emotional distress, and many more. It is important that veterans seek professional help from a collaborative divorce practice since veterans and divorce can carry the same mental health outcomes. Collaborative divorce often includes “Integrative family therapy and other beneficial interventions and resisting the destructive divorce tactics of family law litigation.” (Russell, 69). Litigation is seen as a more complex solution that may lead both parties to an uneven battle that may equal numbness, depression, emotional distress, and despair. Whereas, collaborative divorce can lead to effective communication and a win-win solution for both parties. While working collaboratively, custom-made solutions can preserve relationships between spouses without leaving children with the long-term effects of hurt. 

Recognizing the results divorced veterans experience, choosing the right way to divorce is important. Becoming a part of the collaborative divorce process, veterans may lessen the chances of inducing mental health disorders like isolation, loss of community, etc.   Partnerships who decide to go the collaborative route have the opportunity of moving forward with forgiveness and happiness while obtaining a solution that works mutually. Regardless of the outcomes, recently divorced veterans who report their symptoms under one year are more likely to show new-onset screenings rather than those who report two-three years after. Not only do recently divorced veterans have a high likelihood of experiencing these newly developed mental and physical health issues, most of these issues are often recidivated later in life. 

Following the divorce rates and the outcomes of those who have served or have recently deployed in the military, the film, Brothers After War, releases February 28. This film showcases these unique challenges and personal experiences in an educational yet heartfelt way. Brothers After War explains the sacrifices that the U.S. service members make and how that affects them and their families. Choosing a healthy divorce lifestyle is important for spouses and children involved because of the long-term effects that may arise after the divorce sets in place. Attorney Ashley-Nicole Russell carefully acknowledges these outcomes while examining the aftermath of divorce meanwhile creating beneficial custom-made solutions for past partnerships.

References: 

Wang, L. et al. (2015) Associations of military divorce with mental, behavioral, and physical health outcomes, BMC psychiatry. Available at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4472413/ (Accessed: 07 February 2025). 

Stilwell, B. (2025) ‘brothers after war’: A filmmaker teams up with Gary Sinise to reunite Iraq War Veterans 20 years later, Military.com. Available at: https://www.military.com/off-duty/movies/2025/01/30/brothers-after-war-filmmaker-teams-gary-sinise-reunite-iraq-war-veterans-20-years-later.html (Accessed: 07 February 2025). 

Russell, Ashley-Nicole. Cure for Divorce Culture: Repairing the Damage Within a Lost Class of People. Abrams Press, 2018