Single or divorced people are 86% more likely to have depressive symptoms than married people. This is according to a study with more than 100 thousand people in 7 countries. The relationship between Marital status and mental health stands out as a key topic in public health research, highlighting its impact on psychological well-being.
The impact of marital status on mental health
The relationship between marital status and mental health It is an important topic in public health research. Single, widowed or divorced people have a higher risk of developing depressive symptoms compared to married people.
A recent study published in Nature Human Behaviour titled Association and causal mediation between marital status and depression in seven countries (Zhai, X., Tong, HHY, Lam, CK et al., 2024) supports this hypothesis after analyzing data from more than 106,000 people from countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Ireland, Korea, China, and Indonesia (Nat Hum Behav, 2024).
Cultural differences in depressive symptoms
This analysis, which represents of over 541 million adults, found that the risk of depressive symptoms was 86% higher among single people compared with married people. However, this risk does not manifest itself in the same way in all countries or in all population groups. In general, the study reports that:
- The risk is higher in Western countries than in Eastern countries (people from Western countries would have around a 36% higher risk of depression compared to those from Eastern countries).
- Men show a slightly higher risk than women (25% higher on average).
- People with a higher level of education are also at higher risk than those with less education (34% higher risk).
Marital status and mental health: Key risk factors
In addition, it was identified Alcohol and tobacco consumption as factors that aggravate the risk of depression in widowed, divorced or single individuals in countries such as China, Korea and MexicoIn China and Mexico, smoking was an important factor in the relationship between being single and depression.
Recommendations to mitigate the risks of depression
According to the researchers, this relationship between marital status and mental health is complex and conditioned by cultural and sociodemographic factors, suggesting that efforts to mitigate the risk of depression in unmarried people should be tailored to the specific contexts of each population.
They also emphasize the importance of prevention programs focused on reducing alcohol and tobacco consumption in these risk groups.
