title: Widowhood, age heterogamy, and health: the role of selection, marital quality, and health behaviors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although the impact of widowhood on the surviving spouse's health has been widely documented, there is little empirical research examining whether certain spousal choice decisions and marital sorting patterns predispose individuals to be more vulnerable to the adverse consequences of widowhood for health.
  
  
  METHODS
  We use data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study and employ ordinary least squares models to (a) document variations in mental and physical health between married and widowed persons, (b) determine whether widowed persons in age heterogamous unions are especially vulnerable to the adverse consequences of widowhood, and (c) investigate to what extent differential selection, marital quality, and health practices account for health disparities by marital status and the spousal age gap.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Widowed persons, especially those in age heterogamous unions, have worse mental health than married persons, but they do not seem to be more disadvantaged in terms of physical health. Differential selection, marital quality, and health behaviors partly account for some of the health disparities by marital status and spousal age gap.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that marrying a spouse who is very dissimilar in age may enhance one's vulnerability to the adverse consequences of widowhood for health.
authors.affiliation: Correspondence should be addressed to Kate H. Choi, Department of Sociology, Social Science Centre Room 5306, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A5C2, Canada. E-mail: hchoi228@uwo.ca.
authors.forename: Kate H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Sarinnapha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vasunilashorn
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017805:Widowhood / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014922:Wisconsin / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Age heterogamy; Health; Marital quality; Widowhood.