According to [M.S. Kurilić, Cohen-stable families of subsets of the integers, J. Symbolic Logic 66 257–270], adding a Cohen real destroys a splitting family on ω if and only if is isomorphic to a splitting family on the set of rationals, , whose elements have nowhere dense boundaries. Consequently, implies the Cohen-indestructibility of . Using the methods developed in [J. Brendle, S. Yatabe, Forcing indestructibility of MAD families, Ann. Pure Appl. Logic 132 271–312] the stability of splitting families in several (...) forcing extensions is characterized in a similar way . Also, it is proved that a splitting family is preserved by the Sacks forcing if and only if it is preserved by some forcing which adds a new real. The corresponding hierarchy of splitting families is investigated. (shrink)