Psychology Today recently highlighted a global study confirming a pattern long seen in men’s health research: there is a significantly increased risk of suicide for men after divorce. Not because men “cope badly”, but because relational loss disrupts the foundations that hold a man’s life steady — identity, belonging, daily structure, and purpose.
Men After Divorce: What the Evidence Shows
Across large datasets, including international suicide studies, Ten to Men, and research from Orygen and the University of Melbourne, four consistent patterns emerge:
- For many men, a partner is their primary emotional connection.
- When the relationship ends, daily routine, direction, and social anchoring often collapse.
- Isolation rises sharply in the first 6–12 months.
- Risk increases when a man loses not only a relationship but also his role, identity, and sense of place.
This is identity shock, not emotional weakness.
The Behavioural Impact for Men After Divorce
Most men don’t articulate the depth of relational loss. Instead, it shows up in:
- withdrawal
- disrupted sleep
- loss of motivation
- work decline
- disconnection from friends and community
Research from suicide-prevention agencies is clear: men need active, ongoing contact, not occasional check-ins. This period is one of the highest-risk turning points in a man’s life.
Where Mentoring Through the Maze fits
Mentoring Through the Maze provides the kind of support the research indicates is required for men after divorce. Support that is:
- steady rhythm and reliable contact
- grounded, lived-experience guidance
- neutral, low-pressure meeting formats (walks, cafés, online)
- practical direction while identity and routine are rebuilding
- a clear first step for men who may not begin with counselling
This is part of stepped care: mentoring provides continuity, reduces isolation, and helps men regain footing before risk escalates.
Read the Psychology Today article:
The Hidden Toll of Breakups on Men’s Mental Health | Psychology Today Australia
Read more here
- Men, Divorce and Grief – Healing After Love Ends
- Navigating Male Grief – a Map for Men on Silence, Strength and Healing
- Divorced Fathers and Grief – Rebuilding Fatherhood After Separation
If you’re rebuilding after separation, let’s steady the ground under your feet.