In Sickness and in Health? Physical Illness as a Risk Factor for Marital Dissolution in Later Life

Journal of Health and Social Behavior
Amelia Karraker, Kenzie Latham

Abstract

The health consequences of marital dissolution are well known, but little work has examined the impact of health on the risk of marital dissolution. We use a sample of 2,701 marriages from the Health and Retirement Study to examine the role of serious physical illness onset in subsequent marital dissolution via either divorce or widowhood. We use a series of discrete time event history models with competing risks to estimate the impact of husband's and wife's physical illness onset on risk of divorce and widowhood. We find that only measures of wife's illness onset are associated with elevated risk of divorce, while measures of either spouse's illness onset is associated with elevated risk of widowhood. Further, in the case of heart problems, we find that this gender difference is statistically significant. These findings suggest health as a determinant of marital dissolution in later life via both biological and gendered social pathways.

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Citations

Dec 18, 2016·The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences·I-Fen LinAnna M Hammersmith
Nov 2, 2016·Journal of Health and Social Behavior·Debra UmbersonRachel Donnelly
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Nov 2, 2018·Journal of Health and Social Behavior·Christine Percheski, Jess M Meyer
Jun 28, 2019·The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences·Matthew R Wright
Oct 31, 2018·Frontiers in Psychology·Hoda BadrTimothy Wagner
Sep 13, 2017·Innovation in Aging·Susan L Brown, Matthew R Wright
Feb 25, 2020·Nursing Open·Sheena RamazanuVico Chung Lim Chiang
Jan 20, 2021·Social Forces; a Scientific Medium of Social Study and Interpretation·Susan L BrownKagan A Mellencamp
Aug 9, 2020·Transplantation Direct·Sarah E Van Pilsum RasmussenMacey L Henderson

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