Men more offensive after marital breakups.

• Position: Your Life - Efect of divorce on men's behavior - Brief article

Criminologists long have known that men tend to offend less after they marry but, with almost half of all marriages now ending in divorce, what effect does separation have?

Writing in the journal Psychology, Crime & Law, British researchers Delphine Theobald (Institute of Psychiatry) and David P. Farrington (University of Cambridge) indicate the effects of separation on patterns of behavior are clear: men whose offending reduced when they married increased their offending when that marriage broke down.

The authors suggest that coming out of the routine of family life and becoming detached from social institutions may make men feel more vulnerable, give them more time to engage in undesirable behavior, and cause them financial difficulties. In the words of the authors, these men "no longer have anything to lose."

The researchers identify factors that help to predict...