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Divorce and Health

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Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine

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Synonyms

Marital dissolution; Separation

Definition

Divorce is the legal dissolution of a marriage. It is simultaneously a legal and psychological process (Margulies & Luchow, 1992). Not all people are equally distressed by divorce, and a variety factors contribute to level of distress endured. The degree of distress that stems from the divorce process and from divorced marital status predicts mental and physical health in both the short and long term. Remarriage can reduce the health risks of divorce. Possible mechanisms underlying the relationship between divorce and health (e.g., psychophysiological mechanisms, immune functioning) have been explored.

Description

It has long been understood that marriage, or a stable, long-term intimate relationship, increases life expectancy, decreases morbidity, and enhances quality of life (Burman & Margolin, 1992). In fact, it has been noted that the evidence linking social relationships to health and mortality is as strong as that linking...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Family Institute at Northwestern University, 618 Library Place, Evanston, IL, 60201, USA

    Tamara Goldman Sher Ph.D. (Vice President for Research)

  2. Illinois Institute of Technology, College of Psychology, Chicago, IL, 60616, USA

    Kathryn Noth M.A.

Authors
  1. Tamara Goldman Sher Ph.D.
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  2. Kathryn Noth M.A.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tamara Goldman Sher Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Behavioral Medicine Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA

    Marc D. Gellman

  2. Cardiovascular Safety, Quintiles, Durham, NC, USA

    J. Rick Turner

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© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media, New York

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Sher, T.G., Noth, K. (2013). Divorce and Health. In: Gellman, M.D., Turner, J.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_1388

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_1388

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-1004-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-1005-9

  • eBook Packages: MedicineReference Module Medicine

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