People who have recently divorced have worse mental and physical health than the average. But for some, the separation is on the other hand beneficial.
- Study shows worsening physical and mental health of recently divorced people
- However, young men with a good situation are conversely in better shape after a divorce.
A separation is usually a difficult time, and the statistics prove it. A study published in Frontiers in Psychology, and carried out by researchers from the University of Copenhagen, shows that the psychological and physical health of people who have recently divorced is degraded.
Divorces”immediate“
Previous research on the subject has focused on the long-term consequences of divorce. This time, Danish researchers focused on its immediate effects. Generally, several months pass between a separation and the official act of divorce. “We have been able to study people who have benefited from an ‘immediate’ divorce in Denmark, on average they were granted within 5 days of the application“says Gert Hald, from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. A total of 1,856 recently divorced people were interviewed: they filled out questionnaires about their health and their separation.”The mental and physical health of divorcees was significantly worse immediately after divorce, compared to the general population“, emphasizes Dr Soren Sander, of the University of Copenhagen and co-author.
Conflicts: a factor in the deterioration of mental health
The researchers observed differences between divorced people when they took certain criteria into account. In their study, they explain that young men, earning a good living, generally had better physical health after their separation. Having children, a new partner, or being previously divorced guaranteed better mental health after divorce. In contrast, “qIrrespective of gender, more divorce disputes were associated with poorer mental health“, says Dr. Soren Sander.
A digital tool to support divorced people
For the Danish scientists, this research should make it possible to better support divorced people. According to them, this could prevent certain consequences of these separations such as reduced productivity at work, sick leave, visits to a doctor or the use of medical services. They believe that setting up visual or digital support could be effective in reducing the effects of divorce on mental and physical health. Recently, they have developed a digital tool, called “Cooperate after divorce“, to help recently divorced people.
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