Divorce death may not be something you considered when deciding whether to leave your spouse. But according to a new University of Arizona review, that may be something you will want to factor into your decision.
According to a review of more than 30 published studies, divorced adults have a significantly higher risk of early death than married adults, reports USA Today.
In fact, divorced people had a 23 percent greater chance of dying early than their married counterparts, and had a shorter life expectancy by 11 years, says the study. The researchers compared the health effects of getting divorced to smoking 15 cigarettes a day, getting limited exercise, being overweight, and drinking heavily.
Still, it should be noted that this "study" was more of a review of previous studies and did not conclusively determine that divorce leads to early death, reports USA Today. In addition, it should be noted that divorced men seem to experience this effect more than divorced woman. This may be because women often keep their spouses healthy such as steering them away from cigarettes, booze, red meat, and other unhealthy habits.
So when couples experience tough times and consider divorcing, they may want to list "health" on their pro-marriage list. Other pro-marriage considerations can include staying together for the children, financial security, and companionship.
The con-list can include considerations like unhappiness and interference with life goals.
A University of Arizona review indicates that divorce death may be something you will want to consider if ending your marriage. The review is pretty shocking showing an 11-year shorter life expectancy for divorced people.
Related Resources:
- Find a Chicago Family Law Attorney (FindLaw)
- New review finds divorced adults at higher risk of early death (ABC)
- Divorce (FindLaw)
- Deciding to Divorce in Illinois; Making Lists (FindLaw's Chicago Family Law Blog)
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