Can marriage and related communication be a solution to the increase in life expectancy? Researchers at Duke University Medical Center (USA) say that the absence of a regular partner or spouse in middle age leads to a higher risk of premature death at the same age.
Eileen Ziegler and his colleagues consider it very important to understand who and why does not live to old age, how it should be, and dies in middle age. They suggested that the history of marriage and the timing of marriage can play some role in this. They also wanted to explore the role of premarital relationships, health, and risk behaviors.
Researchers analyzed data on 4802 people born in 1940 who participate in a cardiological study conducted by the University of North Carolina. The authors were especially interested in the marital status of these people when they were of middle age, stability or the volatile nature of their marital and extramarital relations, paying attention also to the socio-economic status and risk behavior.
They found that having a middle-aged partner protects against premature death: those who have never been married are more than twice as likely to die earlier than those who have been in constant marriage throughout their entire adult lives. Loneliness or loss of a partner without a replacement increases the risk of early death in middle age, reducing the likelihood that a person will live to old age. Even when risk behaviors were taken into account, marital status had a significant impact on survival.
