A new study published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior finds that a stable marriage can be good for one’s health, while divorce or widowhood may have irreversible damage.
The study, published by Linda Waite and Mary Elizabeth Hughes, looked at four aspects of midlife health: chronic conditions, mobility limitations, self-rated health and depressive symptoms.
The researchers analyzed data from over 8,600 white, black and Hispanic people between the ages of 51-61 in a health survey from 1991.
In their findings, divorced or widowed people had a 20-percent-higher incidence of chronic health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes or cancer than married people.
Those surveyed also had 23-percent more mobility limitations, such as trouble climbing stairs or walking a block.
In interviews, the researchers stated that losing a marriage through divorce or widowhood is extremely stressful and that the high stress takes a prolonged toll on health, which might never be recovered.
One drawback the authors noted was that the study did not address marriage quality; previous studies have indicated those who stay in unhappy marriages might have increased risks of health problems such as high blood pressure, depression and heart disease.
There are several reasons why this study, and those like it, relates to the sexual-minority community. First, the reporting on the data does not state if any of those surveyed were gay or lesbian. This may be because the question wasn’t asked or because gays and lesbians checked the “never married” box. Either way, the data (or at least the reporting on it) is not complete.
Second, while studies have begun to look at trends in committed same-sex relationships, same-sex marriage is still relatively new; the data this study is based on pre-dates gay marriage in the U.S. Certainly, anecdotal stories have shown that civil unions aren’t equal to marriage in terms of access to healthcare, which would imply that health would also be negatively impacted.
On the surface, it appears this study supports the argument for same-sex marriage over civil unions or similar partnerships (other studies have drawn similar conclusions). But other studies have asserted that encouraging marriage to promote health might be misguided, as they have found the health of never-married individuals has improved over the past decades.
On the other hand, for same-sex couples, if divorce or widowhood has a greater negative health impact than the dissolution of a partnership, it might be wise to skip the marriage and opt for the union.