Some evidence for health‐related marriage selection

Abstract

The results provide evidence for direct health-related marriage selection in men between 25 and 60 years of age. Poor health status reduces the likelihood of marriage.

Married, unmarried, divorced, and widowed and the risk of stroke

“…There is some evidence that healthier individuals are more likely to marry and to stay married, that is, marriage selection. [23][24][25][26] However, it is unlikely that marriage selection had a decisive effect for the findings on risk of stroke in our study as risk was almost the same for the married and unmarried. The result of our study is solely based on marital status in the year before and at the time of stroke.…”

The association between relationship distress and psychopathology is consistent across racial and ethnic groups.

“…It will require prospective data to determine whether relationship quality offers partial “protection” from psychopathology or whether psychologically healthy individuals are more likely to be “selected” into satisfying intimate relationships. Although there are longitudinal studies that support the selection model with physical health (e.g., Lipowicz, 2014) and that highlight the contagion effects of psychopathology within an intimate relationship (Joutsenniemi, Moustgaard, Koskinen, Ripatti, & Martikainen, 2011), there are also studies that describe the protective effects of marriage on mental health (e.g., Horn, Xu, Beam, Turkheimer, & Emery, 2013). Therefore, it is quite likely that causality between relationship discord and psychopathology is bidirectional.…”

Family Relationships and Well-Being

“…Being married, especially happily married, is associated with better mental and physical health ( Carr & Springer, 2010 ; Umberson, Williams, & Thomeer, 2013 ), and the strength of the marital effect on health is comparable to that of other traditional risk factors such as smoking and obesity ( Sbarra, 2009 ). Although some studies emphasize the possibility of selection effects, suggesting that individuals in better health are more likely to be married ( Lipowicz, 2014 ), most researchers emphasize two theoretical models to explain why marital relationships shape well-being: the marital resource model and the stress model ( Waite & Gallager, 2000 ; Williams & Umberson, 2004 ). The marital resource model suggests that marriage promotes well-being through increased access to economic, social, and health-promoting resources ( Rendall, Weden, Favreault, & Waldron, 2011 ; Umberson et al, 2013 ).…”