How Divorce & Widowhood Affect Health

Many studies have looked at the health impact of marital status, but a new study is the first to analyze both marital transitions and marital status on a wide range of health issues.

Researchers at the University of Chicago and Johns Hopkins University found that even when someone remarries, a previous divorce or loss of spouse continues to affect health.

The study of 8,652 people aged 51 to 61 will be published in the September issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior: “Marital Biography and Health Midlife.”

Study findings:

• Divorced or widowed people have 20% more chronic health conditions than married people. These include heart disease, diabetes or cancer.
• Divorced or widowed people also have 23% more mobility limitations: trouble climbing stairs or walking a block.
• Those who never married have 12% more mobility limitations and 13% more depressive symptoms. However, they report no difference in chronic health conditions from married people.
• People who remarried after divorce or losing a spouse to death have 12% more chronic conditions and 19% more mobility limitations than those who are continuously married. The depressive symptoms did not increase in this group.

Researchers noted that some conditions like depression seem to respond quickly and strongly to current conditions, while diseases like diabetes and heart disease show the impact of past experiences and develop slowly over time.

Despite the health benefits of staying married, there are obviously times when it just isn’t the best thing to do. This study does provide some perspective on how your decision to divorce could affect your health down the road. Staying physically fit and perhaps even talking with a therapist can help negate health effects of change in martial status.

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