Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Exploratory Study Of Formal And Informal Help-Seeking Behavior Among Married Individuals Who Are Thinking About Divorce, David Michael Simpson

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research on marital help-seeking has often focused on formal approaches such as marital therapy or relationship education and there is a greater need to understand married individual's informal help-seeking behaviors. This study explores both formal and informal help-seeking behavior using a national sample of 745 participants who have thought about divorce within the past 6-months. Findings indicate these participants more often engaged in informal help-seeking approaches to repair their marriage. Of those sampled, only 25% engaged in marital therapy together and only 9% engaged in a marriage strengthening class while over 30% read a relationship themed self-help book or …