Widows healthier than wives: study
Marriage has long been thought to be beneficial — both in sickness and in health.
But a study suggests that widows actually suffer less stress and frailty than wives whose husbands are still alive. The findings are in contrast to previous research which showed marriage has a protective effect on health, lowering the risk of heart attack and depression, and increasing the chance of surviving from cancer.
The study, by the University of Padova, in Italy, found that while men suffer negative consequences when their wives die — because they rely more heavily on their spouses — women appear to get healthier.
Dr Caterina Trevisan, lead researcher on the study, said the presence of a wife may bring benefits for men in terms of household management and health care, whereas women are “more likely to feel stressed and find their role restrictive and frustrating”.
She said: “Since women generally have a longer lifespan than men, married women may also suffer from the effects of caregiver burden, since they often devote themselves to caring for their husband in later life.”
Trevisan said these factors may be behind the lower risk of depression in unmarried women. The same study also found single women experienced less anxiety than bachelors, greater job satisfaction and higher activity levels at work, and a lower risk of social isolation as they maintained stronger relationships with family or friends.
“Consistently with this picture, the higher educational level and better economic status seen among the single women in our study may well reflect a social condition that would promote a greater psychological and physical wellbeing,” added Trevisan.