MARITAL STATUS AND MENTAL HEALTH

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MARITAL STATUS AND MENTAL HEALTH
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FOUR QUESTIONS

• HOW IS MARRIAGE RELATED TO MENTAL HEALTH?
• HOW IS DIVORCE RELATED TO MENTAL HEALTH?
• ARE MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE DIFFERENT FOR MEN AND
  WOMEN?
• HOW IS DIVORCE RELATED TO CHILDRENS MENTAL
  HEALTH?

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I. TRADITIONAL VIEW

• MARRIAGE IS GOOD FOR MENTAL HEALTH
• INTERPERSONAL - SOCIAL SUPPORT, EMOTIONAL
  SECURITY, INTIMACY
• SOCIAL INTEGRATION - TIES TO COMMUNITY

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BENEFITS OF MARRIAGE

• ECONOMIC WELL-BEING - MARRIED EARN MORE (WOMEN
  12,000 MEN 7,000)
• HEALTH BEHAVIOR - MARRIED FEWER RISKIER
  BEHAVIORS, MORE HEALTH PROMOTIVE BEHAVIORS

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II. BENEFITS OF MARRIAGE DATED

• CHANGES IN SOCIAL NORMS
• STAYING SINGLE AND GETTING DIVORCED NOT
  STIGMATIZED
• MORE CHILDREN OUT-OF-WEDLOCK - 33 IN U.S. 50
  IN SCANDANAVIA
• RISE OF COHABITATION

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FEMINIST VIEW

• ADVANTAGES ONLY FOR MEN
• MARRIAGE SOURCE OF OPPRESSION FOR WOMEN
• ROLE OVERLOAD
• FAMILY VIOLENCE

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EVIDENCE
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HOW TELL IF MARRIAGE BENEFITS?

• CANT JUST COMPARE MARRIED TO SINGLE
• SELECTION OF GOOD MENTAL HEALTH INTO MARRIAGE
• MUST LOOK AT CHANGES FROM BEING SINGLE TO BEING
  MARRIED
• MUST COMPARE TO GROUP STAYING SINGLE

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RUTGERS HHDP STUDY

• LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF 1300 REPRESENTATIVE NEW
  JERSEY ADOLESCENTS AND YOUNG ADULTS
• FIVE SURVEYS IN 1980, 1983, 1986, 1993, 1998
• NOW ARE AGES 36 - 42

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FINDINGS
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FINDINGS

• MARRIED HAVE BETTER MENTAL HEALTH THAN SINGLE
• LESS DEPRESSION FOR BOTH MARRIED MEN AND WOMEN
• MARRIED HAVE FAR FEWER ALC PROBLEMS ESPECIALLY
  WOMEN
• SINGLE WOMEN MOST DEPRESSED

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FINDINGS (CONT.)

• SINGLE MEN HAVE MOST ALCOHOL PROBLEMS

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CONCLUSIONS

• MARRIAGE STILL GOOD FOR MENTAL HEALTH
• GOOD FOR BOTH SEXES
• NOT SELECTION
• MOST SUPPORT FOR TRADITIONAL VIEW

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MARITAL DISSOLUTION
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DIVORCE

• HALF OF ALL MARRIAGES END IN DIVORCE
• MAJOR CHANGE IN 1970S - PRESENT

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MARITAL DISSOLUTION

• SEP/DIV HAVE HIGHEST RATE OF ALL MENTAL
  DISORDERS, SUICIDE, ALCOHOL AND DRUG PROBLEMS,
  MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT
• SEPARATION MORE DISTRESSING THAN DIVORCE

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WHY IS DISSOLUTION SO HARMFUL?

• CONFLICT AND TURMOIL
• SELF-CONCEPTION
• SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS/ SUPPORT
• ECONOMIC DETERIORATION
• CHANGE IN LIVING CONDITIONS
• CHILDREN
• ALL HAPPENING AT SAME TIME

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RUTGERS HHDP STUDY

• 592 PEOPLE WHO MARRIED AT EARLIER TIME
• COMPARES 127 SEPARATED OR DIVORCED TO 465 MARRIED
  AT LATER TIME

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IMPACT OF DIVORCE
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FINDINGS

• DISSOLUTION LEADS TO MORE DEPRESSION AND ALC.
  PROBLEMS
• MORE DEPRESSION AND ALCOHOL PROBLEMS FOR BOTH
  WOMEN AND MEN
• HARMFUL IMPACT OF DISSOLUTION SAME FOR MEN AND
  WOMEN
• NOT SELECTION

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VARIATION

• DIFFERENT MECHANISMS FOR MEN AND WOMEN
• CONTEXT OF DIVORCE
• GOOD MARRIAGE MEANS BAD DIVORCE
• PRESENCE OF MANY SECONDARY STRESSORS
• PRESENCE OF CHILDREN

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CONCLUSIONS

• MARITAL DISSOLUTION VERY BAD FOR MENTAL HEALTH
• WORSE THAN STAYING IN BAD MARRIAGE??

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PARENTAL DIVORCE
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TRADITIONAL VIEW

• DIVORCE VERY HARMFUL TO CHILDREN
• BOTH SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM
• IMPACTS MENTAL HEALTH, RELATIONSHIPS, ACHIEVEMENT

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QUESTIONS

• STILL TRUE?
• NEED PROSPECTIVE NOT JUST RETROSPECTIVE
• NEED CONTROL GROUP
• USE RUTGERS HHDS TO ASK ?S.

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RUTGERS HHDP STUDY

• COMPARE ADULTS WHOSE PARENTS DIVORCED DURING
  ADOLESCENCE TO THOSE WHOSE DIDNT
• LONG RUN AND SHORT-RUN EFFECTS
• PROSPECTIVE NOT RETROSPECTIVE
• 25 HAD DIVORCED PARENTS

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PARENTAL DIVORCE

• NO DIFFERENCES AT ALL
• ALL AGES OF PARENTAL DIVORCE
• BOTH SHORT AND LONG TERM
• HOLDS FOR MENTAL HEALTH, ACHIEVEMENT,
  RELATIONSHIPS

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REASONS?

• BIG SURPRISE
• DIVORCE NOW NORMALIZED
• CONFLICT AMONG PARENTS RELATED TO POOR MENTAL
  HEALTH
• PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS STRONGEST PREDICTOR
• QUALITY MORE THAN DIVORCE

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CONCLUSIONS

• MENTALLY HEALTHY TO GET AND STAY MARRIED FOR BOTH
  SEXES
• MARITAL DISSOLUTION ESPECIALLY BAD FOR BOTH SEXES
• IMPLICATIONS BAD - MORE PEOPLE REMAINING
  UNMARRIED, MARRYING LATER, GETTING DIVORCED
• DIVORCE MAY BE GETTING BETTER FOR MENTAL HEALTH
  OF CHILDREN