
Spouses can offer logistical support, like taking care of children while a partner exercises or shuttling a partner to and from the doctor’s office. But in the latest study, researchers sought to gauge the health effects of divorce, widowhood and remarriage in a large cohort of people over time. Among the 8,652 people studied, more than half were still married to their first spouse. About 40 percent had been divorced or widowed; about half of that group were remarried by the time of the study. About 4 percent had never married.
Overall, men and women who had experienced divorce or the death of a spouse reported about 20 percent more chronic health problems like heart disease, diabetes and cancer, compared with those who had been continuously married.
Previously married people were also more likely to have mobility problems, like difficulty climbing stairs or walking a meaningful distance. While remarrying led to some improvement in health, the study showed that most married people who became single never fully recovered from the physical declines associated with marital loss. Compared with those who had been continuously married, people in second marriages had 12 percent more chronic health problems and 19 percent more mobility problems.