Parents who share family time at meals are less likely to get divorced
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Parents who share family time during meals – without the TV on – are less likely to get divorced.
Divorce risk is less in families who eat together – but only if the TV isn’t switched on.
Researchers have found that families who spend 30 more minutes per day than other families in family mealtimes have a 30% less risk of parental separation – but only if the TV isn’t on during the meal.
The study of 5,604 families looked at a host of other factors that might be connected with the chances of parental separation, but didn’t find any links. Having the TV on at mealtimes removed the positive association between family mealtimes and family stability.
Just as interesting were factors that weren’t conducive to a reduction in the chance of separation; they included religious observance and the time that fathers spend alone with their children.
Poor relationship quality, of course, is a strong predictor of separation, but when the researchers controlled for relationship quality, family mealt...
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