The researchers noted that their findings are in line with prior research that points towards increased heart surgery survival rates for those that are married.
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In their analysis, the researchers found those who were separated, widowed or divorced to be 40 percent more likely to develop a new disability or die within the first couple of years following surgery.
It’s not clear at this time why married individuals have a greater chance of survival following cardiac surgery.
The participants undergo interviews every 2 years regarding health, functioning, medical care and family structure.
Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found that in addition to a “skillful surgeon and a nursing staff”, love and companionship is just as important, if not more, for patients who have undergone cardiac surgery, ABC News reported.
The study included 1,576 participants who were 50 years old or older, 65 per cent of whom were married, 12 per cent were divorced or separated, 21 per cent were widowed and two per cent had never married.
They found the married patients were less likely to be ill with another kind of illness or disability before their surgery.
And after surgery, “marital status was significantly associated with death or a new functional disability”, said the study. Researchers examined how each patient did post-surgery and asked if they were married, single, divorced or widowed.
The findings are consistent with other research on marital status and health, said Hiu (Cathy) Liu, an associate professor of sociology at Michigan State University, who has researched the topic.
Developing a new disability was classed as losing the ability to perform an activity of daily living independently, such as dressing, walking or eating. Loneliness and the stress of divorce or widowhood could play a role. Characterizing the association between marital status and postoperative function may be useful for counseling patients and identifying at-risk groups that may benefit from targeted interventions aimed at improving functional recovery.
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A limitation of the study was that the married and unmarried participants may have differed in ways that were not observable in the study data.
