What's new: Men take separation/divorce harder than women.
By Martha Chan

A recent study that examines the relationship between the dissolution of a marital or cohabitating relationship and subsequent depression among Canadians finds that men appear to take separation and divorce harder than women. A Statistics Canada study  found that:

• Compared to people who stayed with their spouses, both men and women who are separated or divorced have a higher risk of being depressed
• Men who had undergone marital breakups were six times more likely to report an episode of depression
• Women who had divorced or separated were 3.5 times more likely to have had bouts of depression than their counterparts who were still in relationships

The study also provides findings in these areas:

• Marital dissolution and depression
• Women’s economic well-being suffers
• Social support disrupted
• Men no longer live with children
• Employment patterns not likely to change
• Marital breakdown independently associated with depression
• For many, depression short term

In Canada, an estimated 4 marriages in 10 will end before the couple celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary.  The most recent data available from the Divorce Registry show that nearly 71,000 married couples divorced in 2003.

The study was based on longitudinal data from the National Population Health Survey, which was taken at two-year intervals between 1994 and 2005. The 7,614 respondents were between the ages of 20 and 64, and free of depression and in a relationship the first time they were interviewed.

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