Divorce is traditionally considered one of the most significant life upheavals, which is believed to have long-term health consequences. However, new research did not confirm the assumption that the experience of marital breakdown directly affects brain health in old age. The study is published in the journal Innovation in Aging.
The authors used data from two large cohort studies. The analysis included MRI results from 649 elderly individuals, as well as information from 374 participants who underwent PET scans. The average age of the subjects was around 72 years, with 42.5 percent reporting that they had experienced a divorce in the past. In processing the data, the specialists considered a wide range of factors, including age and gender, race and ethnicity, education level, socio-economic conditions in childhood, and family history characteristics.
Individuals with a history of divorce exhibited some differences in brain structure. In particular, there was a slight reduction in hippocampal volume, more pronounced changes in white matter, and a slightly elevated amyloid burden. Such indicators are typically viewed as signs of aging processes and risk factors for dementia. However, the identified differences were weakly expressed and statistically unstable, which does not allow for claims of a significant negative impact of divorce on brain health.
The researchers emphasize that the observed features are likely not due to the act of divorce itself, but rather the accompanying circumstances: social and economic conditions, as well as individual perceptions of the experienced events.
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