The study was done over a ten-year period and “focused on what happens to rural women’s health after their marriage ends, compared with women who stayed married.” Fred Lorenz, who co-authored the report, said ''What we found was that the act of getting a divorce produced no immediate effects on (physical) health, but it did have effects on mental health. Ten years later, those effects on mental health led to effects in physical health.''
The study followed 416 women living in rural Iowa and “interviewed them three times in the early 1990’s and again in 2001.” Of the women 102 were recently divorced and all mothers of adolescent children.
Lorenz said, “It appears there is a link between the higher number of physical illnesses and the different stresses associated with divorce, including financial problems, demotions, layoffs and parenting problems. He added that divorced women, especially in rural areas, have poor job opportunities and fewer support systems.”
This new research is important according to Linda Waite, co-author of the book “The Case for Marriage: Why Married People Are Happier, Healthier, and Better Off Financially” because “it can help friends, family, and the legal and medical communities become aware ‘that divorce often creates a cascade of negative experiences and events for the families involved, with increased need for help, intervention and support.’''
I believe societal pressures for women to be married can take a huge emotional and physical toll that is hard to measure.
Comment Preview