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.ONE TOXIC BEHAVIOR KILLS RELATIONSHIPS, LEADING HAPPINESS EXPERT WARNSDuring 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.Divorces or breakups were consistently linked with higher mortality across all study waves compared to couples who stayed together.
(iStock)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.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTERBeing 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.CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIESAlthough this research displays an association between living alone and mortality risk, it does not define a direct cause, the team acknowledged.The link between breakup and mortality was stronger and found to be statistically significant only among women, the second study period revealed.
(iStock)The authors commented that these findings "hig...