Will fairy tales be shattered? 34% of marriages last less than 5 years! Understand the positive and negative effects of divorce on physical and mental health at once
Mortality rate among divorced people is 23% higher? Carotid artery intima thickness is high
Divorce incidents occur frequently among celebrities from all walks of life. The traditional view of stable marriage and family has evolved with social patterns and gender concepts. It is becoming more and more common for couples and partners to divorce. According to statistics from the Ministry of the Interior, in the past nine years (2013-2021) in Taiwan, the proportion of divorces within five years of marriage has exceeded 30% and is increasing year by year. Data in 2022 show that the proportion of divorces within 5 years of marriage is as high as 34.28%, that is, more than 1 out of 3 couples will divorce within 5 years of marriage.
The impact of divorce or divorce on physical and mental health cannot be underestimated. A large-scale comprehensive analysis pointed out that the risk of death among divorced or separated people is 23% higher on average. Some studies have also shown that poor marital relationship interaction is related to increased carotid artery intima thickness, and carotid artery intima thickness is an important indicator for assessing the incidence of cardiovascular events. Divorce can be an “exhausting” process, especially for first-time divorcees. “Conflict” is a key cause of physical and mental health risks. The higher the degree of conflict in the divorce process, the greater the impact on mental health.
Purely in terms of gender, divorced men with higher incomes and younger ages have better physical and mental conditions after divorce; while women with higher salaries, new partners, and fewer divorces are also more affected by divorce. slight. It can be seen that the impact of divorce is more harmful to groups with lower incomes, older age, and those who have not had a new partner. In this regard, various current literatures suggest that making good use of digital tools and involving physical and mental adjustment and professional consultation in the early stages of divorce can help reduce the adverse impact of divorce on physical and mental health, including work efficiency, medical care and psychological consultation expenses. Wait for the burden.
Does divorce affect physical and mental health? Related to social support and financial burden
Divorce without proper coordination not only represents greater “conflict” between partners, but is also associated with greater intensity of “stress.” The general view among social scientists is that the reason why marriage breakdown brings about negative physical and mental health consequences, including higher mortality and even fatal risks such as “broken heart syndrome”, can be discussed from two aspects, one is social support and the other is economic Burden, divorce or divorce means facing huge and long-term difficulties in social support and economic resource allocation.
Some studies believe that a family formed by marriage is a protective factor for the health of family members, reducing the impact of disease and death on family members. On the contrary, the higher mortality rate among divorced or separated persons is related to the increased financial burden on the family after divorce. For example, men who have to pay alimony for a long time are prone to worsening health conditions and increased mortality due to lack of medical insurance and poor nutrition.
On the other hand, the “marital resources” theory believes that marriage can improve people’s mental health and reduce the impact of various stressful events on individuals. One study found that divorced or separated people had a 16% higher risk of death than married people. The ability to bear the impact of marriage breakdown is also related to age. The impact of psychological stress caused by marriage breakdown on health is more obvious in the elderly than in the young.
Will you live longer after divorce? Weight management and exercise have positive benefits
However, the impact of divorce on physical and mental health may not be entirely negative. Cultural factors and social affluence may also be variables. Social research in Japan and Nordic countries shows that there is no positive correlation between marital breakdown and mortality, and sometimes there is even a “negative correlation” - divorced people live longer than married people. In addition, there are huge differences between individuals in terms of whether they have good “psychological resilience” or “resilience.” Studies have pointed out that most people have good adaptability and can recover after a period of time after the marriage relationship ends. About 10-15% are in severe poor physical and mental health.
For individuals, the choice of divorce may be due to the inability to accept their partner’s high-risk behaviors, including alcoholism, psychological abnormalities, mood disorders, or drug abuse. For such high-risk groups, divorce is a “short-term, long-term gain.” Social adjustment strategies, rather than reluctantly forming unhealthy marriages and families, can easily cause tension and pressure on partners and children. Some studies suggest that adults who leave bad marriages and return to the single market have stronger self-confidence and even get along better with their ex-partners after divorce. Divorce also appears to have positive benefits when it comes to weight management and personal physical activity.
The views of both sexes on marriage are greatly affected by cognitive differences in individual subjective well-being, and they also show a tendency to be inconsistent. Generally speaking, women who have already suffered from the pain of the end of their marriage before divorce feel relieved after the divorce that an inappropriate relationship is over. On the contrary, men often experience surprise, shock and other feelings when their partners file for divorce, which means that men have had a different view of the marriage relationship from their partners over a long period of time without realizing it, and the time to bear the pain of divorce is postponed. , the impact on physical and mental health is even more devastating.
Source:
Divorce and Health: Current Trends and Future Directions
Gender Differences in the Consequences of Divorce: A Study of Multiple Outcomes
Measuring broken hearts: divorce has negative effects on physical and mental health
Meta-analysis of marital dissolution and mortality: Reevaluating the intersection of gender and age
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