Many people in Colorado probably assume that divorced people are more likely to have poor health in their later years. Research studies have supported the conclusion that those who never marry do have a higher risk of poor health. But a new study shows that the health of people who have been divorced and then remarried is, on average, almost as good as those who have remained married. In fact, there is evidence that for some people, divorce can actually have health benefits.
The study compared the health of people born in the late 1950s who have divorced and remarried with those who stayed married. The subjects of the study were about 10,000 people born in 1958. The researchers found that the divorced and remarried individuals did not have a higher likelihood of respiratory and cardiovascular problems when they reached early middle age.
The study also found that men who were divorced and never remarried had lower rates of diabetes-related conditions than men who stayed married. The researchers found that although men often go through an initial decline in health after divorce, they tend to bounce back and eventually regain the health status they enjoyed before divorce. The research seems to indicate that while those in stable, long-term relationships do have better health over the course of their lives, the upheaval of divorce and remarriage does not have a significant long-term effect.
Divorce is not an easy process to go through. The stress can be reduced, however, if both spouses make an effort to minimize disputes and resolve their differences over issues like asset division and alimony through negotiation and mediation. And this new study may give divorcing spouses some relief in the knowledge that divorce won’t necessarily be harmful to their health.
Source: Medical Xpress, “Can’t help falling in love? Why divorce and separation might not be that bad for your health,” June 14, 2015
