There is no doubt about it that divorce is incredibly common all throughout the United States and is caused by many different factors. For instance, even getting married more than once can raise your chance of divorce significantly. A first marriage, for example, has around a 41% chance of ending in divorce while a third marriage has a more than 70% chance of ending in a divorce – and the divorce rate only gets higher from there.

Smoking can increase the risk of divorce as well – but only if one partner in the marriage smokes while the other does not. In such cases, the divorce rate is actually increased by as much as 75%, an increase in risk that most people would find totally shocking. Of course, quitting smoking can bring down the likelihood of divorce again, but making such a major lifestyle change is not always such an easy thing to do – and not always something that people even want to do in the first place.

For many people, factors like work and lifestyle can hugely impact the likelihood of the eventual occurrence of divorce, but it is difficult to predict what will ultimately lead a couple to decide to end their marriage. Regardless, the divorce process can be a hugely difficult one, and the need for a divorce lawyer is likely to be high. Both parties, in fact, should ideally hire a divorce attorney so that equal representation can be had and the matters discussed in the process of divorce can be decided as calmly and as fairly as is reasonably possible. Ideally, the divorce proceedings will only last about a year or so, which is about how long it takes for a divorce to be finalized here in the United States.

Divorce proceedings can all too easily become complicated, however, when the couple finds that they need a custody evaluation in deciding custody matters for their minor children. After all, up to one million people, children and adults alike, will have divorcing parents each and every year here in the United States. For many of the minors involved in the process of a divorce, the matter of the divorce, especially in cases of a contentious divorce, can cause a great deal of emotional discomfort.

And, in fact, a divorce can leave lifelong marks on any given child who watches their parents go through the process of getting one. The data that has been gathered on the subject more than backs up this claim, showing that children whose parents have divorced in their childhood are actually far less likely to graduate high school, as research has found them to be twice as likely to drop out before receiving their diploma. In addition to this, children of divorce are also less likely to go onto college than their peers who have parents who are still married. This, of course, can have considerable implications on the quality of life that they ultimately are able to lead.

However, handling a divorce and the those who need a custody evaluation carefully can help to limit the negative impact that the divorce will have on the children of he divorcing couple. Those who need a custody evaluation are even in the minority, as more informal mediation for child custody is often successful in deciding such matters. In fact, those who need a custody evaluation to finitely decide matters of child custody actually only represent around 5% of divorcing parents, with the rest avoiding the such a path as to need a custody evaluation and instead settling child custody in a way that fosters discussion instead of legal decision making at the hands of a judge.

However, if parents need a custody evaluation than this custody evaluation should be conducted as smoothly as is possible. Ideally, the custody evaluation will happen with the full corporation of both parties, both parents, who are navigating the divorce. This cooperation will help to keep stress levels low, especially for the children who are likely to be directly involved in the process of deciding custody when the divorcing parents in question need a custody evaluation and likely a custody hearing as well.