Does cancer affect the divorce rate?

Abstract

Discrete-time hazard regression models were employed to register and census data on 1.4 million Norwegian married couples from 1974-2001 to explore the probability of divorce following cancer illness. Divorce rates for around 215 000 persons diagnosed with cancer were compared to divorce rates for persons for whom all the other observed variables were the same. No overall harmful influence of a cancer diagnosis was observed. Most cancer forms resulted in small, immediate declines in divorce rates the first years following diagnosis. Exceptions were significant increases in the divorce rates for persons diagnosed with cervical and testicular cancer.

In Sickness and in Health? Physical Illness as a Risk Factor for Marital Dissolution in Later Life

“…Our work suggests that the impacts of cardiovascular disease on marriage, at least in the case of divorce, also vary by gender. Our finding that cancer onset was not associated with divorce is in contrast to prior clinical studies which found elevated divorce risks for reproductive cancers (Carlsen et al 2007; Syse and Kravdal 2007). Besides concerns about selection issues and differently aged samples, our lack of findings for cancer may reflect further variation within the experience of cancer, though a more fine-grained analysis by type of cancer also comes at an additional cost to statistical power.…”

A review of the antecedents of union dissolution

“…Having a physically frail or disabled child increases the risk of marital dissolution (Corman and Kaestner 1992;Mauldon 1992;Najman et al 1993;Reichman, Corman, and Noonan 2004). Being diagnosed with cancer has not been found to affect the risk of divorce, with the exception of cervical and testicular cancers, which were shown to increase the risk (Syse and Kravdal 2007). Differences in health status between spouses have been found to increase divorce risk even for couples who otherwise find their relationship satisfying (Wilson and Waddoups 2002).…”

RETRACTED: In Sickness and in Health? Physical Illness as a Risk Factor for Marital Dissolution in Later Life

“…Other studies have found that the relationship between illness and divorce may vary by specific illness. To illustrate, a Norwegian study did not find strong evidence for elevated divorce following cancer diagnosis, except for cervical and testicular cancers, which tend to strike younger individuals than many other cancers (Syse and Kravdal 2007). However, some studies find no evidence that poor health is a risk factor for divorce.…”