Divorcees and widows share concerning mental health trait, researchers find

Divorcees and widows may face a higher risk of death than those who are still coupled up, a new study reveals.

Researchers in Norway analyzed long-term national health data to weigh mortality risk among those who were divorced, ended situations where they lived with a partner, or became widowed.

The study, published in the journal BMJ Public Health, looked at three groups of about 20,000 people each, from 1984 to 2019, who were married or living with a partner at the time.

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During the next wave of the study, these individuals were categorized into three groups: still married or cohabiting, divorced or moved out, and widowed. Death records were then checked through January 2020, according to a press release.

The researchers used statistical models to gauge whether this relationship loss was associated with death later.

Divorces or breakups were consistently linked with higher mortality across all groups compared to couples who stayed together. This was the case even after accounting for factors such as age, gender, health habits, self-rated health and loneliness.

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Being widowed was also linked to about a 14% higher mortality risk, though the association was strongest in the earliest period studied.

During the second study period, the link between breakup and mortality was stronger, with a statistically significant association observed only among women.

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Although this research displays an association between living alone and mortality risk, it does not define a direct cause, the team acknowledged.

The authors commented that these findings "highlight the importance of addressing social disconnection in public health and in clinical practice to reduce preventable mortality."

M. David Rudd, PhD, University of Memphis professor of psychology and director of the Rudd Institute for Veteran & Military Suicide Prevention, reflected that these findings underscore what has been known for decades.

"Loneliness has significant and severe consequences for individual physical health and emotional well-being," said Rudd, who was not involved in the study. "We're social beings, and relationships are essential to health, happiness and survival."

"These findings are particularly salient during this period of exponentially increasing isolation, secondary to the influential role of digital technologies."

While limitations always exist in studies of this kind, Rudd pointed out that this longitudinal research, spanning almost four decades, offers "remarkably important contributions to understanding human behavior."

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Divorcees and widows should understand that relationships and social engagement are "critical," Rudd said. While these relationships don’t necessarily have to be romantic, human connection is important.

"It's really simple," he added. "Developing, nurturing and maintaining relationships is critical to health, well-being and happiness."