Broken Heart Measurement: Divorce adversely affects physical and mental health

It is very difficult to experience a divorce, and previous studies have highlighted the possible negative effects of a divorce.Recent studies on open access journals Psychology Frontier He is the first person to investigate the health effects immediately after divorce. The study found that the mental and physical health of recent divorces was worse than that of the background population, and that higher levels of conflict predicted worse mental health, regardless of other factors. Understanding these effects may help researchers in designing interventions that help divorces recover and avoid long-term effects.

Researchers have investigated the psychological and physical effects of divorce, but may have missed the opportunity to accurately characterize these effects. Divorce is often a protracted process, and many countries require a separation period before a couple can apply for divorce. However, long separations can heal psychological wounds, and assessing divorce after such a period may underestimate their impact.

“Previous studies did not investigate the effects of divorce unless there was a long separation period before the divorce,” said Gert Hald, a professor at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. “We were able to investigate divorces who were allowed so-called” immediate “divorce in Denmark, and on average, these divorces divorced within five days of filing. ”

This allowed Hald and colleagues, including Dr. Søren Sander of the University of Copenhagen, to obtain “real-time” data on the most recent divorces of 1,856 people who completed a background, health, and divorce survey.

Not surprisingly, this study showed that recent divorces come at a mental and physical cost. “The mental and physical health of the divorced person was significantly worse than the comparative background group immediately after the divorce,” Thunder said.

However, some interesting trends became apparent from the data. For example, among men, more income and youth predict better physical health, having more children, having a new partner, and even having a previous divorce is a better mental It was related to health. Among women, making more money, having a new partner, and having fewer previous divorces was associated with better physical health, but starting a divorce and having a new partner is more Predicted good mental health.

But one factor had a major impact on divorce-conflict. “Beyond gender, even taking into account other socio-demographic variables and divorce characteristics, we found that higher levels of divorce disputes predict worse mental health,” Thunder said.

So how can the findings help people navigate divorces without compromising their health? Targeted intervention early in the process may be important. “We need evidence-based intervention that can help divorce shortly after divorce,” said Hald. “These may include face-to-face or digital interventions designed to mitigate the negative effects of divorce on certain mental and physical health. This is not only beneficial for divorce, but also for divorce. You can also save money by countering the negative effects. Work productivity, sick days, seeing a doctor, using medical facilities. “

In another recent study, researchers have developed an online digital solution called “post-divorce cooperation.” This helps divorces significantly reduce such adverse effects on their mental and physical health. The results of this latest study will help them refine such an approach in the future.

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