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Social Science & Medicine (1982) Jan 2018Marital status is an index of the phenomenon of social integration within social structures and has long been identified as an important predictor suicide. However,... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Marital status is an index of the phenomenon of social integration within social structures and has long been identified as an important predictor suicide. However, previous meta-analyses have focused only on a particular marital status, or not sufficiently explored moderators. A meta-analysis of observational studies was conducted to explore the relationships between marital status and suicide and to understand the important moderating factors in this association. Electronic databases were searched to identify studies conducted between January 1, 2000 and June 30, 2016. We performed a meta-analysis, subgroup analysis, and meta-regression of 170 suicide risk estimates from 36 publications. Using random effects model with adjustment for covariates, the study found that the suicide risk for non-married versus married was OR = 1.92 (95% CI: 1.75-2.12). The suicide risk was higher for non-married individuals aged <65 years than for those aged ≥65 years, and higher for men than for women. According to the results of stratified analysis by gender, non-married men exhibited a greater risk of suicide than their married counterparts in all sub-analyses, but women aged 65 years or older showed no significant association between marital status and suicide. The suicide risk in divorced individuals was higher than for non-married individuals in both men and women. The meta-regression showed that gender, age, and sample size affected between-study variation. The results of the study indicated that non-married individuals have an aggregate higher suicide risk than married ones. In addition, gender and age were confirmed as important moderating factors in the relationship between marital status and suicide.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Female; Humans; Male; Marital Status; Middle Aged; Regression Analysis; Risk Factors; Suicide
PubMed: 29227910
DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.11.053 -
The Journals of Gerontology. Series B,... Mar 2022Marital status contributes to differences in social experiences and well-being in late life. Yet, we know little about the role of conversation in these processes....
OBJECTIVES
Marital status contributes to differences in social experiences and well-being in late life. Yet, we know little about the role of conversation in these processes. Drawing on a functionalist perspective and hierarchical compensatory model, this study aimed to understand (a) whether older adults' marital status is associated with conversation frequency throughout the day, (b) whether contacts with nonspousal ties elicit more conversations among unmarried older adults, and (c) whether conversations exert a stronger effect on mood for unmarried older adults than married older adults.
METHOD
Adults aged 65+ (N = 272) provided information about their background characteristics and social partners. Across 5-6 days, they completed ecological momentary assessments reporting their social encounters and mood every 3 hr. Concurrently, electronically activated recorders captured 30 s of sound every 7 min. We compared older adults who were married, widowed, and divorced.
RESULTS
Multilevel models revealed that married older adults engaged in more conversations than divorced older adults throughout the day. Contact with friends elicited more conversations for divorced older adults than married older adults. Furthermore, conversations enhanced mood throughout the day, but this effect was more salient for widowed than married older adults.
DISCUSSION
Findings highlight the role of marital status in older adults' daily conversational experiences and compensatory processes that may occur. Widowed and divorced older adults differed from married older adults in distinct ways. Divorced older adults may compensate for lack of spouse with friends, whereas widowed older adults may benefit emotionally from engaging in conversations.
Topics: Affect; Aged; Divorce; Friends; Humans; Marital Status; Marriage
PubMed: 34159387
DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbab112 -
International Journal of Public Health Jun 2020We study the role of marital status and living arrangements in mortality among a 50+ population living in Europe by gender and welfare states. (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
OBJECTIVES
We study the role of marital status and living arrangements in mortality among a 50+ population living in Europe by gender and welfare states.
METHODS
Using data from waves 4, 5, and 6 of the Survey of Health Age and Retirement in Europe (n = 54,171), we implemented Cox proportional hazard models by gender and age groups (50-64 and 65-84). We estimated pooled models and separated models for two regions representing different welfare states (South-East and North-West).
RESULTS
Among people aged 50-64, nonpartnered individuals (except never-married women) showed a higher mortality risk as compared with those partnered. Among the older population (65-84), divorce was associated with higher mortality among men, but not among women, and living with someone other than a partner was associated with higher mortality risk as compared to those partnered. In the South-East region living with a partner at ages 50-64 was associated with lower mortality.
CONCLUSIONS
Partnership and residential status are complementary for understanding the role of family dimensions in mortality. The presence of a partner is mortality protective, especially among 50-64-year-old men in South-East Europe.
Topics: Age Factors; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Divorce; Europe; Female; Humans; Male; Marital Status; Middle Aged; Mortality; Residence Characteristics; Sex Factors; Single Person
PubMed: 32350551
DOI: 10.1007/s00038-020-01371-w -
Social Science & Medicine (1982) Jun 2016It is well known that marital status is significantly associated with mortality risk. Little is known, however, regarding whether and how the effects of marital status...
It is well known that marital status is significantly associated with mortality risk. Little is known, however, regarding whether and how the effects of marital status are moderated by one's own family structure in childhood. The purposes of this study are to examine whether marital status (i.e., family structure in adulthood) and living with both biological parents in childhood (i.e., family structure in childhood) are associated with mortality risk, and whether and how the effects of marital status vary depending on family structure in childhood and gender. We analyze the risk of death in five waves of the General Social Survey (GSS) from 1994 through 2002 after linking the GSS data to death certificate data from the National Death Index through 2008. The findings indicate that being widowed increases the risk of mortality, while living with both parents in childhood lowers it. Interestingly, analysis of the interaction between marital status and family structure in childhood reveals that the disadvantage of widowhood in terms of mortality is significantly stronger for those who lived with both parents in childhood than for those who did not. Subsample analysis by gender shows that the moderating effect of living with both parents is largely equal across men and women, though statistically more robust for men. These findings suggest that living with both parents during childhood may increase vulnerability to marital disruptions due to unwanted life events such as spousal loss. Childhood advantages, ironically, may form more stressful contexts of spousal loss by lowering one's adaptability or immunity to adulthood hardships, especially when the hardships in adulthood are characteristically opposite from the childhood advantages.
Topics: Chi-Square Distribution; Death Certificates; Divorce; Family Characteristics; Female; Health Status; Humans; Male; Marital Status; Marriage; Mortality; Parents; Single Person; United States; Widowhood
PubMed: 27203478
DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.05.010 -
Medicine Sep 2023We predicted that marital status may have predictive effects on young adult patients with cancer. A total of 37,028 young adult patients (20-39 years old) newly...
We predicted that marital status may have predictive effects on young adult patients with cancer. A total of 37,028 young adult patients (20-39 years old) newly diagnosed with lymphoma by positive histology between 1988 and 2015 were collected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Patients were separated into married and unmarried groups. Multivariate regression was utilized to explore the association between marital status and overall survival, and propensity score matching and an inverse probability of treatment weighting were applied to corroborate our results. Among 37,028 eligible lymphoma patients, 12,827 married patients, and 12,827 unmarried patients, had equal propensity scores and were eventually recruited in this research. Moreover, married patients reported enhanced 10-year overall survival in the original group and the matched cohort. The multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed a vital advantageous influence of married status on overall mortality, with an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 0.54 (95% CI, 0.51-0.57, P < .001) and the association remained robust after propensity score matching (HR, 0.53, 95% CI 0.51-0.55, P < .001) and inverse probability of treatment weighting (HR, 0.53, 95% CI 0.51-0.56, P < .001) after adjusting for confounding factors. Marital status had predictive significance for overall survival in young adult patients with lymphoma.
Topics: Humans; Young Adult; Adult; Marital Status; Lymphoma; Marriage; Databases, Factual; Propensity Score
PubMed: 37682153
DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000034416 -
Cancer Medicine Jan 2023Previous studies have shown that marital status is associated with survival in patients with a variety of cancer types, including lung cancer, prostate cancer, and...
BACKGROUND
Previous studies have shown that marital status is associated with survival in patients with a variety of cancer types, including lung cancer, prostate cancer, and bladder cancer. However, to date, the impact of marital status on the survival of patients with retroperitoneal liposarcomas (RPLs) has not been established.
METHODS
A total of 1211 eligible patients diagnosed with RPLs were identified in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. The relationships between marital status and survival in patients with RPLs were assessed. Patients were stratified by age to determine whether an association exists between marital status and age. We also probed the association between marital status and survival in males and females.
RESULTS
Our findings suggest that divorced, separated, or widowed patients have more advanced cancer stages, and more of these patients do not undergo surgery. Meanwhile, divorced, separated, or widowed patients have worse survival outcomes than married patients (overall survival (OS): HR = 1.66 (95% CI, 1.12, 2.46)); cancer-specific survival (CSS): HR = 1.90 (95% CI, 1.13, 3.19)). OS does not differ between single patients and married patients (HR = 1.21 [95% CI, 0.81, 1.81]) or CSS (HR = 1.36 [95% CI, 0.80, 2.29]). In addition, these results demonstrate that being divorced, separated, or widowed can play a significant detrimental role in mortality in older and female patients.
CONCLUSION
Married patients have earlier disease stages at diagnosis and better survival outcomes than divorced, separated, or widowed patients with RPLs. In addition, this effect is especially pronounced in older people and females.
Topics: Male; Humans; Female; Aged; SEER Program; Marital Status; Divorce; Liposarcoma
PubMed: 35758717
DOI: 10.1002/cam4.4962 -
Journal of Preventive Medicine and... Nov 2022This study aimed to analyze the associations of income, marital status, and health behaviors with hypertension in male and female over 40 years of age in the Korea.
OBJECTIVES
This study aimed to analyze the associations of income, marital status, and health behaviors with hypertension in male and female over 40 years of age in the Korea.
METHODS
The data were derived from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES; 4851-302) which included 211 576 participants. To analyze the relationships of income, marital status, and health behaviors with hypertension in male and female over 40 years of age, multiple logistic regression was conducted with adjustments for these variables.
RESULTS
The prevalence of hypertension increased linearly as income decreased. The odds ratio for developing hypertension in people with an income of <0.5 million Korean won (KRW) compared to ≥6.0 million KRW was 1.55 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.25 to 1.93) in the total population, 1.58 (95% CI, 1.27 to 1.98) in male, and 1.07 (95% CI, 0.35 to 3.28) in female. The combined effect of income level and marital status on hypertension was significant. According to income level and marital status, in male, low income and divorce were most associated with hypertension (1.76 times; 95% CI, 1.01 to 3.08). However, in female, the low-income, married group was most associated with hypertension (1.83 times; 95% CI, 1.71 to 1.97).
CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study show that it is necessary to approach male and female marital status separately according to income in health policies to address inequalities in the prevalence of hypertension.
Topics: Humans; Female; Male; Adult; Middle Aged; Marital Status; Poverty; Marriage; Health Policy; Hypertension
PubMed: 36475316
DOI: 10.3961/jpmph.22.264 -
Journal of Aging and Health Jan 2023This study examines how current marital status is associated with epigenetic aging. Data from the 2016 Health and Retirement Study were used to examine marital status...
This study examines how current marital status is associated with epigenetic aging. Data from the 2016 Health and Retirement Study were used to examine marital status differences in the four epigenetic clocks, that is, , , , and ( = 3765). Weighted ordinary least square regression models were estimated separately for men and women. Remarried, cohabiting, divorced/separated and widowed older adults showed greater epigenetic aging than the continuously married similarly among men and women. Distinct sex difference was observed among the never married. While never-married women exhibited greater epigenetic aging than their continuously married counterparts, older men in lifelong singlehood showed comparable epigenetic aging to their continuously married peers. The findings speak to the importance of marital context for epigenetic aging in later life and the biological risk associated with lifelong singlehood for older women in the US.
Topics: Female; Humans; Male; United States; Aged; Retirement; Marital Status; Marriage; Divorce; Epigenesis, Genetic
PubMed: 35609241
DOI: 10.1177/08982643221104928 -
The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine Jun 2016This paper discusses the role of gender role conformity in psychiatric determinants of well-being after of the depathologization of homosexuality from the DSM. In order... (Review)
Review
This paper discusses the role of gender role conformity in psychiatric determinants of well-being after of the depathologization of homosexuality from the DSM. In order to examine the heterosexualizing of sanity in U.S. psychiatric and popular cultures, we analyze archived psychiatrist-dictated patient charts from outpatient psychiatric clinics from a Midwestern medical center (n = 45). We highlight ways physicians deployed heteronormative gender expectations to describe and treat women's and men's depressive illness and implicitly construed troubled female-male relationships and sexual encounters as indices of psychopathology. We theorize how evolving connections between the heteronormal and the psychiatric normal performed some of the same regulatory functions, as did the DSM, coding particular gender performances and partner choices as mentally healthy while relegating others to the realm of disease. Only here, focusing on the mainstream instead of the marginalized kept the ideological work of these scripts hidden from view.
Topics: Adult; Bias; Female; Gender Identity; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; Male; Marital Status; Men; Mental Disorders; Sexual Behavior
PubMed: 27354850
DOI: No ID Found -
Psychosomatic Medicine May 2020Becoming widowed is associated with an increased risk of early mortality. Drawing on theoretical literature related to social support and health, the present study...
OBJECTIVE
Becoming widowed is associated with an increased risk of early mortality. Drawing on theoretical literature related to social support and health, the present study evaluated whether the quantity of close relationships might differentially moderate the relationship between marital status (widowed versus married) and mortality risk 10 years later.
METHOD
Data were obtained from the National Social Life Health and Aging Project. A diverse group of older adults (n = 2347) were interviewed three times for 10 years. Information on close friends/family, marital status, and mortality was gathered. Logistic regression and moderation analyses were used to test whether the quantity of close relationships conditioned the risk of death for married and widowed adults 10 years later.
RESULTS
The quantity of close relationships moderated the association between marital status and mortality risk (B = -0.35, SE = 0.11, p = .002). Compared with their married counterparts, widowed older adults who had fewer than four to six close relationships had an increased risk of death 10 years later (B = -0.35, SE = 0.09, p < .001); similarly, among people who reported few close relationships, widowed adults had an increased risk of death compared with their married counterparts (B = 0.54, SE = 0.15, p < .001). These findings remained significant after accounting for demographics, health behaviors/chronic health conditions, and psychological distress. This effect is comparable to the increased mortality risk associated with smoking cigarettes.
CONCLUSIONS
Having fewer than four to six close relationships is associated with an increased mortality risk for widowed older adults.
Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Female; Health Behavior; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; Male; Marital Status; Marriage; Middle Aged; Mortality; Social Support
PubMed: 32168108
DOI: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000798