Divorce negatively affects physical, mental health: Study

*Researchers in a study discovered that certain factors were effective in boosting the participants’ mental and physical health following a divorce, and hope their findings can help identify those who need support the most

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

Whereas finances are one of the biggest factors consumers worry about when thinking of divorce before now, a fresh study conducted by researchers from Frontiers explored the physical and mental health ramifications of ending a marriage.

The study findings indicated that consumers’ physical and mental health is likely to take a hit in the months immediately following a divorce.

Researcher Dr. Søren Sander said: “The mental and physical health of divorcees was significantly worse than the comparative background population immediately following divorce.”

In understanding what contributes to poorer health outcomes, and to better understand this trend affecting divorced consumers, the researchers had over 1,800 recently divorced men and women answer questions about their education level, income, and number of children.

They also answered specific questions about their divorces, health and wellness.

Ultimately, the researchers learned that the participants’ mental and physical health worsened following a divorce.

The study also found that the participants were less likely to socialise, struggled with emotional capacity, and had poorer physical and mental health overall.

Mental health was likely to be worse for couples who had a lot of conflict throughout the divorce process, researchers noted in the study.

Dr. Sander stated: “Across gender, higher levels of divorce conflict were found to predict worse mental health, even when accounting for other socio-demographic variables and other divorce characteristics.”

As regards helping those in need, the researchers discovered that certain factors were effective in boosting the participants’ mental and physical health following a divorce.

For instance, having a new partner, earning more money, and being relatively younger were beneficial for both men and women’s health outcomes post-divorce.

Moving forward, the researchers hope that these findings inspire more consumers to seek support services following the divorce process to help mitigate some of the negative health effects that are likely to crop up.

Gert Hald, one of researchers, stated: “We need evidence-based interventions that can help divorcees immediately following divorce.

“These might include face-to-face or digital interventions that are designed to reduce the specific adverse mental and physical health effects of divorce.”

Not only would this be beneficial for divorcees, but it could also save money by countering the negative effects of divorce on work-place productivity, sick days, doctor visits, and use of health care facilities.”

Kindly Share This Story