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【Ta Kung Pao News, November 2, 2006】
According to a report from ETToday on the 1st: Divorced women not only suffer emotionally but also physically. A decade-long tracking study in the United States found that women experience psychological trauma after divorce, which subsequently affects their physical health, leading to a 37% higher likelihood of developing physical illnesses ten years after divorce.
The study, conducted by the Social Behavior Research Center at Iowa State University, followed 416 rural women from the state from 1990 to 2001, tracking their marital, psychological, and physical conditions. The researchers compared the changes in physical and mental health of divorced women with those who remained married. In the first few years after divorce, from 1991 to 1994, divorced women had a 7% higher rate of psychological illnesses compared to married women, but there was no significant difference in physical health. However, ten years later, the rate of physical illnesses among divorced women was 37% higher, while the difference in psychological illness rates had diminished.
The researchers listed 46 physical illnesses and asked participants to check off any symptoms they experienced, ranging from common colds to heart disease and cancer. Factors such as age, remarriage, education level, income, and pre-existing health conditions were controlled for. At the start of the study, the women's children were already in adolescence, and 102 of the women had just divorced.
One of the study's lead researchers, Lorenz, stated, "What we found is that divorce does not have an immediate impact on (physical) health, but it does affect mental health," and "Ten years later, these mental health effects manifest in physical health."
Lorenz believes the study results show that the higher likelihood of physical illnesses in women is directly related to divorce. Additionally, the various stresses brought on by divorce, such as financial pressure, job loss, and childcare responsibilities, also play a role. He noted that divorced women, especially in rural areas, have fewer job opportunities and less social support, leading to a vicious cycle of declining economic stability and increased life stress.
Another researcher, Wickrama, mentioned that by the end of the study in 2001, 40 of the divorced women had remarried or were living with a partner, which positively impacted their health. The alleviation of financial difficulties was an indirect factor contributing to this improvement.
Source: http://www. takungpao. com/ news/ 06/ 11/ 02/ YM- 644620. htm
Women More Prone to Illness A Decade after Divorce
According to a report from ETToday on the 1st: Divorced women not only suffer emotionally but also physically. A decade-long tracking study in the United States found that women experience psychological trauma after divorce, which subsequently affects their physical health, leading to a 37% higher likelihood of developing physical illnesses ten years after divorce.
The study, conducted by the Social Behavior Research Center at Iowa State University, followed 416 rural women from the state from 1990 to 2001, tracking their marital, psychological, and physical conditions. The researchers compared the changes in physical and mental health of divorced women with those who remained married. In the first few years after divorce, from 1991 to 1994, divorced women had a 7% higher rate of psychological illnesses compared to married women, but there was no significant difference in physical health. However, ten years later, the rate of physical illnesses among divorced women was 37% higher, while the difference in psychological illness rates had diminished.
The researchers listed 46 physical illnesses and asked participants to check off any symptoms they experienced, ranging from common colds to heart disease and cancer. Factors such as age, remarriage, education level, income, and pre-existing health conditions were controlled for. At the start of the study, the women's children were already in adolescence, and 102 of the women had just divorced.
One of the study's lead researchers, Lorenz, stated, "What we found is that divorce does not have an immediate impact on (physical) health, but it does affect mental health," and "Ten years later, these mental health effects manifest in physical health."
Lorenz believes the study results show that the higher likelihood of physical illnesses in women is directly related to divorce. Additionally, the various stresses brought on by divorce, such as financial pressure, job loss, and childcare responsibilities, also play a role. He noted that divorced women, especially in rural areas, have fewer job opportunities and less social support, leading to a vicious cycle of declining economic stability and increased life stress.
Another researcher, Wickrama, mentioned that by the end of the study in 2001, 40 of the divorced women had remarried or were living with a partner, which positively impacted their health. The alleviation of financial difficulties was an indirect factor contributing to this improvement.
Source: http://www. takungpao. com/ news/ 06/ 11/ 02/ YM- 644620. htm