Nursing Student Divorce Rate?

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I sent this to another forum but I think actual students would be helpful. I will be starting Nursing in the Fall of 2006.

I just read a post that said that around half of the married students divorced during nursing school. I had another lady say that their was alot of divorces during nursing school due to stress.

My question is has everyone found this to be true? I am happily married now with two children. If this is true what suggestions do you have to help you through it.

God Bless,

Mary Ann

Specializes in Emergency Dept, M/S.
People grow and change. The things you loved when you were 18 are thorns in your side 20 years later. Life's too short.

That's exactly my situation. I AM growing and changing, but some people want to be the same 24yo they were when you married them, and they don't like the other growing and changing. Sometimes you do have to grow up, especially when you have kids!

Live and learn!

As much as I needed to divorce, it still isn't easy. I'll never stop loving him, he's a good person and father. But we just can't live together. Very, very unfortunate.

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Specializes in Telemetry/Cardiac Floor.
Nursing school isn't the cause of divorces unless one subscribes to the theory that stress causes divorce. Go into it realistically:

1. It is stressful - try to come up with time solutions BEFORE you start.

2. Ensure you have adequate day care arrangements.

3. Save way more money then you think you will need.

4. Borrow enough money so that money issues don't become an emergency.

5. Discuss, discuss, discuss your deadlines with your spouse - ensure everyone is on the same page.

6. Know that it is a finite amount of time and the rewards are worth it.

Good luck.

Thanks for this, since I've been in school my marriage has been put under great stress. This is good advice.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.
That's exactly my situation. I AM growing and changing, but some people want to be the same 24yo they were when you married them, and they don't like the other growing and changing. Sometimes you do have to grow up, especially when you have kids!

Live and learn!

As much as I needed to divorce, it still isn't easy. I'll never stop loving him, he's a good person and father. But we just can't live together. Very, very unfortunate.

I'm sorry to hear that. Sometimes we do outgrow our spouses and friends and that's just the way it is. We have to accept them as they are, but we have to move on as well.

Good luck to you.

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Heh, heh, heh. We are in counseling right now.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Cardiac.

Besides 59.746% of statistics are just made up anyway!:chuckle

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just because 50% of marriages end in divorce, it does not mean that 50% of people getting married will divorce. Remember your Research Class? A skew in the data comes from those who marry twice, thrice and more. THEIR marriages have a higher than average rate of failure, which kicks the divorce rate up for the general population. So stats are for you...

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just because 50% of marriages end in divorce, it does not mean that 50% of people getting married will divorce. Remember your Research Class? A skew in the data comes from those who marry twice, thrice and more. THEIR marriages have a higher than average rate of failure, which kicks the divorce rate up for the general population. So stats are for you...

Don't forget about the people who have endured bad marriages for 20 or 30 years and are just getting out now. As my psychology teacher said the divorce rate is all married people... not the one's just getting married. I tend to shy away from putting too much emphasis on stats because every person is different and every marriage has its own personality. It really is what you make it.

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My marriage not only survived my husband going through nursing school, but it's surviving now that I am in nursing school.

And we're not only surviving, we are thriving. As other posters have said, you have to know what is important. My husband comes first over any assignment I may have, but because he cares about my success in the program, he doesn't distract or try to compete with my time when I'm working on school stuff. It's a mutual respect thing.

I think a marriage that can't survive a spouse going through nursing school has a very little chance of surviving parenthood, economic hardship, health crises, 12 hour shifts at work, etc.

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I think a marriage that can't survive a spouse going through nursing school has a very little chance of surviving parenthood, economic hardship, health crises, 12 hour shifts at work, etc.

I agree with this. Nursing school is not the hardest thing a marriage will have to sustain.

Of course my advice for my kids is to get your education before you get married - not due to the stress but due to the fact that lots of things will intervene after marriage that may end up making you drop out of school for a time. Like having children.

I'd sure like to know where that stat about nursing school and divorce came from - I'd wager it is made up.

steph

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If approximately half of all nursing students divorce, then they're average Americans. About half of all Americans divorce!

I'd just also like to add that statistics can be VERY skewed, and so it means NOTHING about you.

For instance that age old statistic that we've all heard about how half of all marriages in the US end in divorce; well there's only 2 ways a marriage can end: death or divorce, right?

Think of it like this...that cute little old couple that is married for 60 years before 1 of them dies, yeah they count as 1 in that statistic....now the lady who has been divorced 6 times, she counts as 6....see what I mean?

So, just because half of all MARRIAGES end in divorce doesn't mean that half of all PEOPLE will get a divorce, see what I mean? So don't sweat it, you're not a statistic and neither is your marriage!

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Don't forget about the people who have endured bad marriages for 20 or 30 years and are just getting out now.

So true. When I bought my first house with my ex (was divorced before nsg school!), it was from a couple who were divircing after 42 years of marraige. Sad, she had not seen him in months as it had been an abusive relationship and she had no idea she even had an option to leave as a result of thier religious convictions and teachings.

I felt bad for the lady, she had loved her whole life in fear of this man and had to hide now. The closing was so volatile I went outside and threw up afterwards!

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I dont agree that Nursing school itself is a primary cause of divorce.If the marriage is based on solid and strong foundations nursing school wont break one's marriage, the problems had to exist before arleady and nursing school is just an excuse to end it.None of my happily married classmates are at the point that they are considering the idea of divorce although their wives or husband do complain about them being always busy with school work.

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