Sometimes it seems there is no end to news of men behaving badly after their children with disabilities are born. It happened again on Friday.
The incredible statistics on divorce when disability enters a family (70%, 80%, 85%) are, to my knowledge, not actually substantiated by any research (if anyone has seen research, please comment below with a link or reference).
But even one man abandoning his family is one too many.
As God ordains things, I came into my office 20 minutes after hearing that news to an email that included a link to the video below. I had seen this video before some years ago but hadn’t thought about it for some time. The contrast between one man leaving his family and another man narrating the story of his son with a genetic anomaly was stark.
I may have posted this video before, but it is worth seeing again, particularly since it brings an example of a young man trusting in God and leading his family well.
Please, pray for men, particularly daddies, that we would cling to Jesus and serve our families well today.
The Works of God 
As for the divorce rates among families having children with disabilities, see http://www.danieljvance.com/disabledweek492.html and http://www.danieljvance.com/disabledweek495.html.
If you would like to receive the entire academic paper, email danieljvance@gmail.com.
Daniel J. Vance MS, LPC, NCC
Thanks for posting this. Growing up, I often wondered if my dad ever thought about walking out on our family (my brother has cerebral palsy)..
Some research I found:
“Risdal and Singer (2004) reported an average of 5.97% more divorces among couples parenting a child with a disability” – from a journal article entitled “Marital Adjustment in Parents of Children with Disabilities: A Historical Review and Meta-Analysis”
I tried to link the actual journal but the only reason why I had access to it was because I’m attending a university that subscribes to large journals online. If you would like a copy, I would be happy to attach it to you in an email. I found it extremely interesting.
I am not sure why my last post was not put up. But I have thoroughly researched divorce rates among parents that have children with disabilities. It was my master’s degree project at Minnesota State University. I am also a ministry associate with Joni and Friends. I have been trying hard to make this information public, but for some reason many people involved in disability ministries seem to reject what I found, even though it’s all a matter of public record and can be found by anyone. It’s information that could be of great encouragement to young couples having a child with a disability.