Stable relationships with a partner are associated with higher levels of health.
Stable relationships with a partner throughout life are associated with higher levels of health and life satisfaction after the age of 60. This conclusion was reached by European researchers who analyzed data from over 18,000 individuals born between 1945 and 1957 in Northern and Western European countries. The work was published in the European Journal of Population (EJP).
The scientists examined not only the current marital status but the entire "relationship history" — from youth to old age. They identified several typical scenarios: a stable first marriage, divorce followed by remarriage, divorce without a new partner, a series of cohabitations, and prolonged loneliness. It turned out that people with long-term stable marriages generally felt better and were more satisfied with life.
Moreover, remarriage largely "smoothed out" the negative consequences of divorce: well-being indicators for such individuals were close to those who lived their lives in a single marriage. In contrast, prolonged loneliness and divorce without subsequent relationships were more often associated with lower levels of subjective health and quality of life.
The researchers also paid special attention to the role of education. Among individuals with lower levels of education, divorce without a new partner was linked to a particularly pronounced decline in well-being. This indicates that stable relationships can partially compensate for a lack of other resources and play an important role in maintaining quality of life in older age.
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