Marital Metamorphosis

By Dr. Franco,

In 2004 I found myself in a different continent and unexpectedly changing my marital status. I must confess that before this time I used to smoke, did not sleep more than 5 hours per day and had neglected my physical activities since I started my medical career. But with the unexpected changes came unforeseen - but very much needed!- transformations. My wife’s tender regime radically altered my lifestyle. Without noticing, my smoking habit, lack of sleep and absence of physical activity were eradicated.

It is therefore with no surprise that I recently read the results of a report published in the American Journal of Epidemiology evaluating the effects of marital status on mortality. Scientists from Duke University (Durham, NC) followed US adults over more than ten years (1992 – 2006) to evaluate the impact of marital status on mortality.

Summarizing, the authors found that the number of years one is married was strongly related to survival. The study also showed that different marital trajectories can have very different effects, for example marrying as a teenager was actually related to a lower survival. The authors suggest further research to clarify the mechanisms that lead from specific marital status and family structure to mortality and other health outcomes over the life course,

Besides this paper a large body of work is available that shows that being married is related to better survival. In general I am not a friend of taking or giving advice, but in this case -based on my personal experience and scientific evidence- I can strongly advice anyone without a partner to find one, and if you already have one, make it last. We say faith can move mountains, but love can move continents… and it certainly made me move!

References:
Matthew E. Dupre, Audrey N. Beck, and Sarah O. Meadows. Marital Trajectories and Mortality Among US Adults . American Journal of Epidemiology Advance Access published on July 7, 2009. Am. J. Epidemiol. 2009 170: 546-555
Invited Commentary: Toward a More Comprehensive Social Epidemiology of Marital Trajectories and Mortality. Patrick M. Krueger. Am. J. Epidemiol. 2009 170: 556-558