BBC Newsline looks at the effects of divorce or separation on teenagers and how such a turbulent period of transition can be managed to minimise the damage done to adolescents affected.

January is rapidly becoming one of the busiest times of the year for divorce lawyers. Statistics show this is the period when they receive more enquiries from married couples contemplating divorce than at any other time of the year.

Earlier this week, the Parents Advice Centre invited a leading UK psychologist, Dr John Coleman, to address delegates at Malone House, Belfast, with a seminar entitled "The Forgotten Teen - The Impact of Separation and Divorce on Teenagers".

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Divorce can be a very distressing event. It is possible for young people to be overlooked during the process…parents may feel their children are old enough and ‘ugly’ enough (as my mum would say) to deal with it.

But they can be very wrong; it can sometimes be more difficult for those who understand divorce for what it is…’ A complete or radical severance of closely connected things’. A study entitled; Broken families, lonely ends shows how ‘adult children’ (aged 16+) were ‘far less likely’ to report to a parent for comfort – so they may feel the distress, but feel they have no one the share it with.

Research by the ESRC entitled: Children’s Perspectives & Experience of the Divorce Process showed how children can be put under enormous strain during divorce; taking on roles which should be beyond their maturity; ‘as carer, conciliator, advice giver, and support provider’ and the participants within the study often felt ‘excluded’ from the decisions which directly affected them and wish to be ‘included’.

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With approximately 50 percent of marriages in the United States ending in divorce, there are many people who must deal with the stress of working out the terms of child custody, child support.

And the division of assets and property. While divorce is intended to end a marriage, other effects of divorce may be felt for a long time.

There are many factors that contribute to the rise of divorces in the United States. The laws have changed to make it easier for couples to dissolve their marriages. Because filing for divorce is relatively easy, couples may see less incentive to work on their marital problems.

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Positive Effects of Divorce on Children: You can Make it Happen!

Turn to just about any medical journal, and you'll read about children having trouble dealing with their parents' divorce. What you don't read is that as the acute grief fades and the years go by, these children can become just as physically and mentally healthy as kids whose parents have not been divorced.

Some studies even show that divorce may have positive effects on children. If you want your children to show positive effects of the divorce, there are a few things that you can do.

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When it comes to how long your life will be, you can blame your parents. But only a little bit. If your parents got divorced when you were a kid, you have an elevated risk of dying earlier than your peers — in fact, you're 44 percent more likely to die earlier than your expected age compared with people who had parents that stuck together (for better or worse).

Not due to the stress of the divorce, per se, but because the effects of smoking, drinking alcohol and being overweight hit kids of divorced parents particularly hard. (Yes, if smoking weren't bad enough already, there's something about having divorced parents that makes it worse.)

But, of course, it's not all bad news. You can lengthen your lifespan. Some ways are obvious (for instance, one way to limit the damage of smoking, of course, is not to smoke!). But surprise: Having a happy marriage yourself doesn't restore your lifespan to where it should be (but we highly recommend it for other reasons).

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It is only the second time in more than 4,000 pairs of Bewick's swans studied over 40 years at Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust centre at Slimbridge that a separation has been recorded.

It is not unheard of for the birds, which usually mate for life, to find a new mate but it tends to be because one of the pair has died.

So when male swan Sarindi turned up in the annual migration from Arctic Russia without his partner of two years Saruni and with a new female - newly-named Sarind - in tow, conservationists feared the worst for Saruni.

But shortly afterwards Saruni arrived at the wetlands site - also with a new mate, Surune.

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Over the last several years of my ministry experiences, I have had a continuing interest and passion in helping teens and young adults in coping with the issue of their parents divorce.

One of the highest points of interest I learned is that despite what any expert may think or suggest, no one (or couple) is invincible to this painful situation. In getting the blessing to be a part of many teens lives across the country, I have also had the ability to see the varied results and products of divorce.

Some have been saddening stories of students lives falling apart before your eyes as they struggle to grab a hold of some splinter of stability in their life.

Others have been inspiring stories of endurance, and perseverance to overcome depression, anger, and grudges held for years against parents, leading to young adults with a strong sense of character and resolve to endure any situation through faith, and patience.

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It is not what any couple plans on, but it is a sad fact of life for more than a third of Kiwis who tie the knot. Emotionally and financially it can exact a high cost.  AMANDA MORRALL finds out how to avoid costly mistakes on the money side.

For richer, for poorer, marriage can be an enriching experience, except, of course, when it ends in divorce.  The financial repercussions of marital meltdown can be no less devastating than the heartbreak.

Feuding former spouses may never agree on who is to blame or who suffered more, but there's one thing both parties can be assured, warn professionals who deal with the financial aftermath of separation.

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A British department store chain has created a gift list for those wishing to help a loved one with the pain...and party atmosphere of modern divorce.

Debenhams said it launched a divorce gift list service to reflect the increasing popularity of greeting cards, parties and cakes celebrating divorces as well as provide assistance to someone who has had to divide the assets.

"A divorce means that one partner will be leaving the marital home and therefore be left without any essentials in their new house," Debenhams head of retail services Peter Moore said in a statement.

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A state law that automatically revokes bequests to a former spouse may also include bequests to a former spouse’s family members, Maryland’s highest court has ruled in affirming judgment. The law provides for the automatic revocation of clauses in a will “relating to the spouse.” In this case, a man failed to change the terms of his ...