They found that patients who are divorced, separated or widowed had an approximately 40 percent greater chance of dying or developing a new functional disability in the first two years following cardiac surgery than their married.
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Interviews were carried out 4 times, between 2004 and 2010, and included questions regarding health, medical assistance and family structure. Among them, 65% were married, 21% were widowed, 12% were divorced or separated, and 2% of them had never been married. The share grew respectively to 34% and 29% among widowed participants and separated or divorced participants.
Moreover, the study revealed that married patients are most likely male.
The findings showed marital status was significantly correlated with the risk of death or a new functional disability within two years after surgery.
Previous studies have already underlined the support system that marriage may offer when health is dwindling with one of the partners.
For instance, recent research revealed that married people have a lower risk of heart disease and stroke than singles or live-ins.
Both physicians and patients should pay more attention to these aspects of people’s lives, which are no less important for people’s health than physical factors such as blood pressure or cholesterol levels, she said. All of the participants had required serious heart surgery, and had experienced different outcomes.
In addition to information on marital status, age, sex and comorbidities, Neuman and Werner collected information on preoperative dependence in six activities of daily living: dressing, ambulation, bathing, eating toileting and getting into and out of bed.
The findings of the study were published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
They found the married patients were less likely to be ill with another kind of illness or disability before their surgery.
“These discoveries reach out earlier work recommending postoperative survival points of interest for wedded individuals and may identify with the part of social backings in affecting patients’ decisions of doctor’s facilities and their self-consideration”, said the study. This could explain the differences in recovery seen between married and non-married people.
“The marriage link to health outcomes really depends on the quality of the marriage”.
Dr. Shah also said that further research should be able to reveal what exactly makes these people more resilient.
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Marital status was found to influence not only the survival chances of the person undergoing the procedure but also affect their active recovery.
