I. Facts

A. Highest psychological disorder rates for unmarried

Lowest for currently married

B. True across wide variety of disorders

C. More accidents during divorce

D. More health problems during divorce

II. Explanations for relation between marriage and psychopathology

A. Selection Hypothesis

Less healthy cannot sustain marriage; healthier can

Schizophrenics and alcoholics high rates of never getting married

True especially for males (why?)

Marriage a one-item VA (post WW-II) test of diagnosis!

Men who never were married most likely to be diagnosed as

schizophrenic

B. Causation Hypothesis

Marriage is said to be either the cause of or protects against

psychopathology

Benefits for married, but... Not true for women!

Suspect gender role specificity rather than biological factors

Effects of major change in marital status (e.g., divorce)

C. Treatment Utilization Hypothesis

Factors associated with differential utilization

Data are confounded by differential utilization of mental health

services; for example, after death of a spouse we might find more

women on average seeking some treatment.

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