Changes In Marital Status Research Articles

Transiting through cohabitation to marriage: emerging commitment and diminishing ambiguity

This article extends discussions about the meaning of cohabitation for cohabitants by drawing on our qualitative interviews from New Zealand with long-term heterosexual and same-sex cohabitants. We show that for this particular group of cohabitants, living together was a dynamic and fluid phenomenon that was largely characterised by a shift from an ambiguous and contingent commitment to a more mutual commitment. The emergence of mutual commitment through living together laid the foundations for these cohabitants to contemplate marriage or civil union as the culturally sanctioned mechanism to signify commitment to a long-term, if not permanent, future together. The change in marital status had the effect of putting to an end any lingering doubts about the meaning of their partnerships, resulting in higher levels of security and better recognition from members of their social network.

Influence of Gender in the Saving Culture of Sacco Members in Nyandarua County, Kenya

Saving is a key component in any development endeavor as it is believed to be the surest way of increasing income and boosting productivity in an attempt to break through the vicious cycle of poverty. A number of studies have demonstrated that the investment and retirement saving behaviors of women and men differ. However, inconsistencies in findings exist in the few studies conducted on the differences in general saving behaviors between men and women. The purpose of this study was to establish gender differences in saving culture with a special bias on SACCO members. Specifically, the study aimed at assessing the influence of income levels on saving culture; evaluate the effect of marital status on saving culture and establish the influence of age on saving culture of SACCO members in Nyandarua County. The research adopted a descriptive survey design and targeted all business and agricultural based SACCO members and officials in Nyandarua County. 18 SACCO officials and 375 SACCO members were sampled using purposive and stratified random sampling respectively. The researcher collected data using structured questionnaires. A descriptive analysis of the data after processing involved computing mean, mode and median with the help of Statistical Package of Social Sciences Software and Microsoft Excel and presented in frequency tables and charts. Marital status of the respondents was found to be statistically significant in terms of the annual saving. The result implies that a change in marital status will affect the annual savings negatively. The researcher is 99.952% confidence that the change in marital status will negatively have an impact on annual saving. The researcher recommends nurturing of marriage institution as a way of protecting saving culture among women and men members of the SACCO in Nyandarua County.

Parents' health and children's help.

The paper uses 'within-parent' variation to study how changes in British parents' health, marital status and financial resources affect receipt of help from their children. The analysis considers two measures of children's help (one enumerating specific activities and another reporting assistance with particular difficulties) and two measures of parents' health: self-reported assessments of overall health and enumeration of difficulties with activities of daily living. It uses three longitudinal data sets from Britain: the British Household Panel Study, Understanding Society and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. The primary finding is that children's help is highly responsive to problems arising from a parent's health that limit a parent's mobility or their ability to live independently in a community. But it is not responsive to severe difficulties requiring daily care. The estimates of responsiveness that are based fully or partially on between-individual variation overstate the impact of parent's health on help.

BMI Changes in Russian Adults: The Role of Health Related Behaviors and Spousal Relationships

The paper investigates the effects of changes in marital status and health related behaviors (smoking and drinking) on the body mass index (BMI) in Russian adults over a ten-year period. Smoking and drinking behavior changes have played an important part in health status changes over 1994 to 2004. The results indicate that the individual weight/BMI changes asymmetrically in health determinants; the sign and the magnitude of the response are different depending on the starting point and whether there is an increase or a decrease in the explanatory variable. Males’ BMI decreases with smoking and increases with quitting smoking, but females’ BMI increases with drinking alcohol and decreases with stopping drinking. Losing a partner decreases only the females’ BMI, but gaining a spouse/partner is associated with increases in BMI for both genders. For married females and males, the change in spousal BMI is significantly positively related. Understanding interactions between individual health-related behaviors and the set of determinants that contribute to such behaviors is a fundamental step in the design of effective interventions.

Gender differences in the age-cohort distribution of psychological distress in Canadian adults: findings from a national longitudinal survey

Psychological distress is frequently used as an indicator of the mental health of a population. Overall, the mean level of distress is higher in women than in men and tends to decrease in both genders during adulthood. This pattern is primarily attributable to the differential exposure of women and men to specific risk factors over their lifetimes. However, the age distribution for distress may be confounded by a cohort effect. This study aimed to compare the age and birth cohort distribution of psychological distress by gender. This study was based on data from the National Population Health Survey, a longitudinal population survey conducted in Canada from 1994–1995 to 2010–2011. Growth curve analyses were performed separately in women (n = 9062) and in men (n = 7877) to examine the distribution of psychological distress by age group and birth cohort in Canadians aged 18 years and older. The mean level of psychological distress is higher in women than in men in all age groups and all birth cohorts, and in the 18-29 age group than in older adults. Minor gender differences are found in the distribution of distress when age and birth cohort are examined jointly. In women, the mean level of distress decreases steadily beginning at age 18, reaches its lowest point in the 60-69 age group and rises thereafter without ever reaching the level observed in young adults. In men, it remains stable in the twenties and then follows a pattern similar to that observed in women. This age pattern is more apparent in more recent than in earlier cohorts and is related to variations in employment status, marital status and education during adulthood. Young adults and, to a lesser degree, seniors are at higher risk for psychological distress than other adults. To better understand the epidemiology of psychological distress, future research should focus on the risk factors that are more prevalent in these age groups. A starting point would be to evaluate how employment status, marital status and educational level change during adulthood and have changed over time in women and in men.

Assessing the economic burden of illness for tuberculosis patients in Benin: determinants and consequences of catastrophic health expenditures and inequities.

To inform policy-making, we measured the risk, causes and consequences of catastrophic expenditures for tuberculosis and investigated potential inequities. Between August 2008 and February 2009, a cross-sectional study was conducted among all (245) smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients of six health districts from southern Benin. A standardised survey questionnaire covered the period of time elapsing from onset of tuberculosis symptoms to completion of treatment. Total direct cost exceeding the conventional 10% threshold of annual income was defined as catastrophic and used as principal outcome in a multivariable logistic regression. A sensitivity analysis was performed while varying the thresholds. A pure gradient of direct costs of tuberculosis in relation to income was observed. Incidence (78.1%) and intensity (14.8%) of catastrophic expenditure were high; varying thresholds was insensitive to the intensity. Incurring catastrophic expenditure was independently associated with lower- and middle-income quintiles (adjusted odd ratio (aOR) = 36.2, 95% CI [12.3-106.3] and aOR = 6.4 [2.8-14.6]), adverse pre-diagnosis stage (aOR = 5.4 [2.2-13.3]) and less education (aOR = 4.1[1.9-8.7]). Households incurred important days lost due to TB, indebtedness (37.1%), dissaving (51.0%) and other coping strategies (52.7%). Catastrophic direct costs and substantial indirect and coping costs may persist under the 'free' tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment strategy, as well as inequities in financial hardship.

Associations between quality of life and marital status in cancer patients and survivors.

The cancer survival rate in Korea has substantially increased, necessitating the management of not only patients with cancer but also longer term survivors. Although the divorce rate has drastically increased in Korea, there is not sufficient research regarding the relationship between changes in marital status and quality of life (QOL) in cancer patients and survivors. Thus, we aimed to examine the relationship between marital status and QOL in such cases. This study was performed using the Community Health Survey of 2008 administered by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (N=169,328). We used t-tests and Chi-square tests to compare demographic variables between men and women, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) to compare QOL scores among comparison groups. We also performed a multilevel analysis on the relationship between QOL and marital status while accounting for provincial differences. Decline of EuroQOL five dimensions (EQ-5D) in single patients with cancer was greater than in any other marital status group, but there was no statistically significant decline in survivors of cancer with regard to marital status. In the general population, the decline of EQ-5D was higher among single people than married people. Using the EuroQOL visual analog scale (EQ-VAS), single people had higher values than those of other marital status among both patients with cancer and survivors of cancer. In the general population, EQ-VAS values were higher for single people compared to married people. There may be a significant relationship between marital status and QOL in cancer patients and survivors. Policy interventions to manage patients with cancer who experience a decline in QOL as well as marital problems should be conducted.

Adolescent outcomes and opportunities in a Canadian province: looking at siblings and neighbors.

BackgroundWell-organized administrative data with large numbers of cases (building on linked files from several government departments) and a population registry facilitate new studies of population health and child development. Analyses of family relationships and a number of outcomes--educational achievement, health, teen pregnancy, and receipt of income assistance--are relatively easy to conduct using several birth cohorts. Looking both at means/proportions and at sibling correlations enriches our study of opportunity and well-being in late adolescence. With observational research possibly exaggerating the causal effects of risk factors, sibling comparisons involving individuals sharing both many family characteristics and many genes help deal with such criticisms.MethodsThis paper uses a rich dataset from one Canadian province (Manitoba) covering a wide range of geographical areas (cities to rural regions). Influences on opportunity and well-being are analyzed looking at both means/proportions and sibling correlations. We measure a variety of outcomes that may reflect different causal influences. A creative application of linear programming advances the use of data on residential location.ResultsPredicting educational achievement using available variables was much easier than predicting adolescent health status (R-square of .200 versus R-square of .043). Low levels of educational achievement, high levels of teenage pregnancy, and high sibling correlations outside Winnipeg and within Winnipeg’s lower income areas highlight inequalities across socioeconomic and geographic backgrounds. Stratifying our analyses by different variables, such as income quintiles, reveals differences in means and correlations within outcomes and across groups. Particular events--changes in mother’s marital status and in place of residence--were associated with less favorable outcomes in late adolescence.ConclusionOur findings suggest a paradox: Canadian developmental outcomes through late adolescence appear quite similar to those in the United States, even though intergenerational mobility in Canada is closer to mobility in the Nordic countries than to that in the United States.

Do women who intermittently attend breast screening differ from those who attend every invitation and those who never attend?

Analysis of screening uptake usually dichotomizes women into attenders and non-attenders, though many women respond positively to some but not all invitations. This paper studies these intermittent attenders. A cohort of 8,571 women invited for consecutive breast screens in the Northern Ireland Breast Screening Programme were followed in a study linking screening and census records. Multivariate logistic analysis was used to analyze the characteristics of those who attended both times (consistent), once (intermittent or 'one-time only'), or not at all (non-attenders). Overall, 15.5% of women attended once and 13.4% were non-attenders. Non-attenders were characteristically disadvantaged (as measured by social renting, car access, and employment status), less likely to be married, and more likely to be healthy. One-time attenders were younger, and suffering poor health, though there was no association with either social renting or employment status. Privately rented accommodation and city living was associated with both one-time attendance and non-attendance. One-time attenders are an important and distinct subgroup of screening invitees in this analysis. Their distinct characteristics suggest that transitory factors, such as change in marital status, ill-health, or addressing difficulties through change of residence are important. These distinct characteristics suggest the need for different approaches to increase attendance, among both intermittent attenders and those not attending at all.

Financial hardship is associated with increased weight gain: what is the role of health behaviors? (811.25)

Weight status is strongly patterned by socioeconomic status (SES), but financial hardship may also separately influence weight. We aimed to examine the independent associations between financial hardship and 10‐year weight gain, and explore health behaviors as potential mechanisms, in British employees (n=3638). Self‐reported financial hardship (having difficulty paying bills and insufficient money for food/clothing) was assessed four times from 1985 to 1997 and weight measured twice (1985; 1997). During follow‐up, 2520 people gained 蠅5 kg, with a dose‐response to financial hardship in women only. Compared with no history of insufficient money for food/clothing, women reporting cumulative exposure had a 35% greater odds of gaining 蠅5 kg (1.00‐1.82) which increased after SES adjustment (OR 1.40; 1.01‐1.93). Change in smoking or marital status met mediation criteria, but only marital status altered women’s odds of weight gain from cumulative exposure to insufficient money (OR 1.54; 1.11‐2.14) or to difficulty paying bills (OR 1.44; 1.01‐2.06). Financial hardship was significantly independently related to subsequent weight gain in female British employees. One health behavior was a potential mediator but did not attenuate observed associations. Results suggest strategies to tackle obesity must address women’s current economic concerns which may influence weight through more biological pathways.Grant Funding Source: US National Heart Lung and Blood Institute R01HL036310; US National Institute on Aging R01AG01319

Stable marital relationship protects men from oral and genital HPV infections

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections are associated with sexual behavior. Changes in the sexual habits of couples and their impact on male genital and oral HPV infections were determined during 7 years of follow-up (FU). At baseline and 7 years FU, urethral, semen/penile, and oral samples were collected from 46 men and cervical and oral samples of their spouses for HPV DNA detection. Demographic data and risk factors of spouses were recorded by questionnaire at both time points and analyzed for concordance. HPV genotyping was done with the Multimetrix® kit. At baseline, 29.5 % of the male genital and 11 % of their oral samples tested positive. Incident genital HPV infection was found in 23 % and oral infection in 10.9 % of men. Genotype-specific persistence was detected in one man (HPV53) in genital samples. Moderate to almost perfect concordance of changes in sexual habits during FU among spouses were found. Changing partners [p = 0.028; odds ratio (OR) = 15; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.355-166.054] and marital status (p = 0.001; 95 % CI 0.000-0.002) increased the risk of incident genital HPV infections. The overall outcome of genital HPV disease in men was linked to the frequency of sexual intercourse (p = 0.023; 95 % CI 0.019-0.026) and changes in marital status (p = 0.022; 95 % CI 0.019-0.026), while oral HPV infections were associated with the number of sexual partners (p = 0.047; 95 % CI 0.041-0.052). Taken together, asymptomatic genital HPV infections among the men were common. The risk of incident genital HPV infections increased among men reporting a change of sexual partner during FU, implicating that a stable marital relationship protects against oral and genital HPV infection.

Adolescent Outcomes and Opportunities in a Canadian Province: Looking at Siblings and Neighbors

BACKGROUND: Well-organized administrative data with large numbers of cases (building on linked files from several government departments) and a population registry facilitate new studies of population health and child development. Analyses of family relationships and a number of outcomes -- educational achievement, health, teen pregnancy, and receipt of income assistance -- are relatively easy to conduct using several birth cohorts. Looking both at means/proportions and at sibling correlations enriches our study of opportunity and well-being in late adolescence. With observational research possibly exaggerating the causal effects of risk factors, sibling comparisons involving individuals sharing both many family characteristics and many genes help deal with such criticisms. METHODS: This paper uses a rich dataset from one Canadian province (Manitoba) covering a wide range of geographical areas (cities to rural regions). Influences on opportunity and well-being are analyzed looking at both means/proportions and sibling correlations. We measure a variety of outcomes that may reflect different causal influences. A creative application of linear programming advances the use of data on residential location. RESULTS: Predicting educational achievement using available variables was much easier than predicting adolescent health status (R-square of .200 versus R-square of .043). Low levels of educational achievement, high levels of teenage pregnancy, and high sibling correlations outside Winnipeg and within Winnipeg's lower income areas highlight inequalities across socioeconomic and geographic backgrounds. Stratifying our analyses by different variables, such as income quintiles, reveals differences in means and correlations within outcomes and across groups. Particular events -- changes in mother's marital status and in place of residence -- were associated with less favorable outcomes in late adolescence. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest a paradox: Canadian developmental outcomes through late adolescence appear quite similar to those in the United States, even though intergenerational mobility in Canada is closer to mobility in the Nordic countries than to that in the United States.

Marriage, Divorce, and Alcohol Use in Young Adulthood

Marital status is a robust predictor of alcohol consumption in young adulthood; however, the extent to which observed associations are due to socialization or selection processes is unclear. The current study examined associations between marital status and alcohol use, assessed in a sample of 5,150 young adults (ages 18–30) from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. A longitudinal sibling-comparison design controlled for family-level environmental and genetic selection factors and for an individual’s premarital trajectory of alcohol use. Nested model comparisons tested whether gender and age moderated the effects of marriage and divorce. Controlling for selection factors, the transition into marriage predicted decreases in alcohol consumption, and this effect was consistent across gender and age. Divorce predicted increased consumption, particularly for men. Findings support a causal relationship between changes in marital status and alcohol use, rather than an association due to selection factors and suggest gender-specific changes in alcohol use following divorce.

Probability and Predictors of First Treatment Contact for Anxiety Disorders in the United States

Despite the high prevalence of anxiety disorders and the demonstrated efficacy of their treatment, most individuals with anxiety disorders never utilize mental health services. To identify predictors of treatment-seeking for DSM-IV anxiety disorders from a range of sociodemographic factors and comorbid mental disorders. Survival analysis with time-varying covariates was performed using data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC). Face-to-face interviews conducted in the United States. 34,653 respondents, aged 18 years and older, from the 2004-2005 Wave 2 NESARC. The cumulative probability of treatment-seeking (assessed by the Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule-DSM-IV version, Wave 2 version) across the anxiety disorders in 1 year, 10 years, and lifetime and the median delay to the first treatment contact. Most individuals with panic disorder sought treatment within the same year of disorder onset, whereas the median delays to first treatment contact for generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobia, and social anxiety disorder were 1 year, 13 years, and 16 years, respectively. Several personality disorders and earlier age at anxiety disorder onset decreased the probability of treatment contact. By contrast, younger cohort membership, a recent change in marital status, treatment for a psychiatric disorder other than substance use disorder, and comorbid anxiety disorders increased the lifetime probability of treatment contact. Treatment-seeking rates for most anxiety disorders are low, are associated with long delays, and sometimes are hindered by co-occurrence of other psychopathology. These patterns highlight the complex interplay of personal characteristics, individual psychopathology, and social variables in the treatment-seeking process.

“She mixes her business”: HIV transmission and acquisition risks among female migrants in western Kenya

Migration and HIV research in sub-Saharan Africa has focused on HIV risks to male migrants, yet women's levels of participation in internal migration have met or exceeded those of men in the region. Moreover, studies that have examined HIV risks to female migrants found higher risk behavior and HIV prevalence among migrant compared to non-migrant women. However, little is known about the pathways through which participation in migration leads to higher risk behavior in women. This study aimed to characterize the contexts and processes that may facilitate HIV acquisition and transmission among migrant women in the Kisumu area of Nyanza Province, Kenya. We used qualitative methods, including 6 months of participant observation in women's common migration destinations and in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted with 15 male and 40 female migrants selected from these destinations. Gendered aspects of the migration process may be linked to the high risks of HIV observed in female migrants — in the circumstances that trigger migration, livelihood strategies available to female migrants, and social features of migration destinations. Migrations were often precipitated by household shocks due to changes in marital status (as when widowhood resulted in disinheritance) and gender-based violence. Many migrants engaged in transactional sex, of varying regularity, from clandestine to overt, to supplement earnings from informal sector trading. Migrant women are at high risk of HIV transmission and acquisition: the circumstances that drove migration may have also increased HIV infection risk at origin; and social contexts in destinations facilitate having multiple sexual partners and engaging in transactional sex. We propose a model for understanding the pathways through which migration contributes to HIV risks in women in high HIV prevalence areas in Africa, highlighting potential opportunities for primary and secondary HIV prevention at origins and destinations, and at key ‘moments of vulnerability’ in the migration process.

Body Weight, Marital Status, and Changes in Marital Status

In this article, I use 20 years of data taken from the 1979 National Longitudinal Study of Youth to examine the relationship between body weight and both marital status and changes in marital status. I use a latent growth curve model that allows both fixed and random effects. The results show that living without a partner, either being divorced or never married, is associated with lower body weight. Cohabitors and married respondents tend to weigh more. Marital transitions also matter but only for divorce. Gender does not appear to moderate these results.

Refining the Notion of Maturing Out: Results From the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions

Our aim was to determine if the decrease in drug use disorders with age is attributable to changes in persistence, as implied by the notion of maturing out. Also, we examined the association between role transitions and persistence, recurrence, and new onset of drug use disorders. We performed secondary analysis of the 2 waves of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions data (baseline assessment 2001-2002, follow-up conducted 2004-2005). We conducted logistic regressions and multinomial logistic regression to determine the effect of age on wave 2 diagnosis status, as well as the interaction between age and role transitions. Rates of persistence were stable over the life span, whereas rates of new onset and recurrence decreased with age. Changes in parenthood, marital, and employment status were associated with persistence, new onset, and recurrence. We found an interaction between marital status and age. Our findings challenge commonly held notions that the age-related decrease in drug use disorders is attributable to an increase in persistence, and that the effects of role transitions are stronger during young, compared with middle and older, adulthood.

Turning back the ticking clock: the effect of increased affordability of assisted reproductive technology on women’s marriage timing

This paper exploits variation in the mandated insurance coverage of assisted reproductive technology (ART) across US states and over time to examine the connection between increased access to ART and female marriage timing. Since ART increases the probability of pregnancy for older women of reproductive age, greater access to ART will make marriage delay less costly for younger single women of reproductive age. Linear probability models are estimated to investigate the effects of ART state insurance mandates on changes in marital status of women in different age groups using the 1977–2010 Current Population Survey. Results show that greater access to ART is associated with marital delay for white (but not for black) women: white women in states with an ART insurance mandate are significantly less likely to marry between the 20–24, 25–29, and 30–34 age ranges, but significantly more likely to marry between the 30–34 and 35–39 age ranges.

Links between socio-economic circumstances and changes in smoking behavior in the Mexican population: 2002-2010.

While deleterious consequences of smoking on health have been widely publicized, in many developing countries, smoking prevalence is high and increasing. Little is known about the dynamics underlying changes in smoking behavior. This paper examines socio-economic and demographic characteristics associated with smoking initiation and quitting in Mexico between 2002 and 2010. In addition to the influences of age, gender, education, household economic resources and location of residence, changes in marital status, living arrangements and health status are examined. Drawing data from the Mexican Family Life Survey, a rich population-based longitudinal study of individuals, smoking behavior of individuals in 2002 is compared with their behavior in 2010. Logistic models are used to examine socio-demographic and health factors that are associated with initiating and quitting smoking. There are three main findings. First, part of the relationship between education and smoking reflects the role of economic resources. Second, associations of smoking with education and economic resources differ for females and males. Third, there is considerable heterogeneity in the factors linked to smoking behavior in Mexico indicating that the smoking epidemic may be at different stages in different population subgroups. Mexico has recently implemented fiscal policies and public health campaigns aimed at reducing smoking prevalence and discouraging smoking initiation. These programs are likely to be more effective if they target particular socio-economic and demographic sub-groups.

The influence of social relationships on obesity: Sex differences in a longitudinal study

To investigate the effect of five dimensions of social relationships on obesity and potential sex differences in these associations. This study used longitudinal data from the Swedish Level of Living Surveys (LNU) in 1991 and 2000. The sample included 3,586 individuals. The dimensions of social relationships examined in this study include emotional support, frequency of visiting friends, marital status, marital status changes, and a Social Relationships Index (SRI). Obesity status was based on BMI (kg/m(2)) and calculated with self-reported measurements. The association between social relationships and the incidence of obesity after 9 years of follow-up was evaluated through Poisson regressions. After controlling for confounders, we found that the lack of emotional support (RR = 1.98; 95% CI, 1.1-4.6) influenced the incidence of obesity among men. In addition, men with the lowest levels of SRI (RR = 2.22; 95% CI, 1.1-4.4) had an increased risk of being obese. Among women, SRI was not significantly associated with obesity. Women who changed their marital status from married to unmarried had lower risk of obesity (RR = 0.39; 95% CI, 0.2-0.9). This study provides evidence for the effect of social relationships on the incidence of obesity, with significant differences by sex.