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Marital Status and Health Beliefs: Different Relations for Men and Women

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Abstract

Although relations between marital status and health have been substantiated, the results of relatively few studies suggest how or why marriage is associated with health. To understand how marriage and health are associated, this study was designed to examine the role of health beliefs. Two thousand two hundred and six (2,206) adults who participated in the New Jersey Family Health Survey provided information about their marital status, proactive health beliefs, and proactive health behaviors. Results indicated that being married (vs. single) was positively associated with men's proactive health beliefs, whereas marriage did not appear to influence women's proactive health beliefs positively. Significant relations between participants' reports of proactive health beliefs and proactive health behaviors were found. Findings are discussed in terms of the importance of understanding the complex nature of associations between social relationships and health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, 311 North 5th Street, Camden, 08102, New Jersey

    Charlotte N. Markey

  2. Department of Psychology, Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania

    Patrick M. Markey

  3. Center for State Health Policy, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey

    Carl Schneider & Susan Brownlee

Authors
  1. Charlotte N. Markey
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  2. Patrick M. Markey
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  3. Carl Schneider
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  4. Susan Brownlee
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Correspondence to Charlotte N. Markey.

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Markey, C.N., Markey, P.M., Schneider, C. et al. Marital Status and Health Beliefs: Different Relations for Men and Women. Sex Roles 53, 443–451 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-005-6767-y

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