Divorce predictors can be useful tools for individuals who are not yet married and for individuals who have already been divorced. Divorce predictors can help members of each of these groups analyze their choices and evaluate their relationships in order to help avoid divorce in the future. Married couples may even be able to learn from divorce predictors in the sense that they can commit to paying special attention to areas of their relationships which may ultimately place them at a higher risk of divorce.

Once engaged couples, married couples or single individuals who hope to marry again educate themselves about divorce predictors, they can determine whether they may benefit from prenuptial agreements or postnuptial agreements. If they find these legal tools to be useful, they can speak with an experienced family law attorney in order to draft agreements unique to their circumstances in accordance with state legal guidelines.

It is important to understand that divorce predictors are not an exact science. A number of studies exist which indicate that certain individual and relationship factors may place couples at a higher or lower risk of divorce later in life. However, not all couples exposed to any one of these factors ultimately divorce and many couples who are not exposed to certain factors divorce anyway.

You alone can determine if any specific divorce predictor may impact your relationship to a negative extent. If so, drafting a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement may help to put your mind and your romantic partner’s mind at greater ease.

Source: The Huffington Post, “Prevent Your Future Divorce by Learning What Predicts It,” Becky Whetstone, May 4, 2015