Every year in the United States, nearly two million people are affected by the pain of a divorce. In recent years, a slew of studies have been performed to examine the effects divorce can have on the life expectancy of those involved—results have been largely mixed, but now a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Arizona has put together all of the evidence from these divergent studies and the new, combined results have been published. The article presents some information that is of interest not only to Colorado divorce and family law attorneys, but to all of those impacted by divorce.
The study presents, among others, the following pieces of information:
- Adults who divorce are 23% more likely to die young.
- Divorce doesn’t cause the early death; there is another x-factor that contributes to both divorce and early death.
- Reduced financial status on both sides may impact health
- Reduced social ties as a result of divorce may impact health
- Resumption of negative habits, such as smoking, following divorce can impact health
- The stress of divorce severely impacts biological functions
Now, while all of these factors may seem obvious, and at the same time appear to give divorcing couples a strong reason to reconsider, the researchers have cautioned that the data they have published is still early and prone to change—people reading the study should do so with an element of caution. More work has to be done to solidify the conclusions, and there are other family law factors which still need to be taken into account. For example, many couples who divorce eventually see one or both remarry. The study does not account for the effects of this change in status. There are also control factors to be considered when establishing parameters for data review.