title: The short-term and long-term effects of divorce on mortality risk in a large Finnish cohort, 1990-2003.
abstract: This study investigated time patterns of post-divorce excess mortality. Using register-based data, we followed 252,641 married Finns from 1990 until subsequent date of divorce and death until 2003. Among men, excess mortality is highest immediately after divorce, followed by a decline over 8 years. Among women, excess mortality shows little variation over time, and is lower than among men at all durations of divorce. Social and economic factors--largely adjustment for post-divorce factors--explain about half of the excess mortality. This suggests that excess mortality is partly mediated through poor social and economic resources. Mortality attributable to accidental, violent, and alcohol-related causes is pronounced shortly after divorce. It shows a strong pattern of reduction over the next 4 years among divorced men, and is high for only 6 months after divorce among divorced women. These findings emphasize the importance of short-term psychological distress, particularly among men.
authors.affiliation: University of Helsinki, Finland. niina.metsa-simola@helsinki.fi
authors.forename: Niina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Metsä-Simola
authors.forename: Pekka
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Martikainen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002423:Cause of Death; D004243:Divorce / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012923:Social Class; D013997:Time Factors