My guess is that children of divorced parents, as a whole, probably are deeply anxious about conflict within any relationship.

We've seen what it does. We know, very personally and deep down, that things break. That nothing is forever.

We know that if things get tough, then someone can just leave, and leave behind all the conflict and broken love, sundering what we are taught is unbreakable.

So some of us avoid conflict. Some of us jump into conflict with an attitude of "okay then, just test me, see me run if things get too bad."

But all of us are struggling to remember, or just to discover, that there can be conflict without tearing.

So when we get depressed or anxious or seem to overreact to spats or disagreements, its because in the back of our minds we're asking "Is this it? Is this the final straw that's going to break us?"

ETA: Mom, Dad, don't worry, this isn't about me. It's about a friend.