In a study of nearly 600 heart-surgery patients, unmarried people were nearly twice as likely to die as married people within five years of the procedures. For married patients, the survival rate was roughly 85%; for the unmarried, 70%. The three-year study looked at men and women who had coronary-bypass or valve surgery at a major medical center, starting in October 2000; the researchers controlled for such factors as pre-existing health risks, demographics and the richness of patients' social networks. Marriage helped males and females about equally, and the difference in mortality was starkest in the first months after surgery.Much of the long-term difference could be explained by unmarried patients being more likely to smoke (a behavior that spouses can influence, naturally). For the short-term gap, researchers cited social, emotional and even "cognitive" support—smart decision-making—as possible explanations.
"Mending Broken Hearts: Marriage and Survival
Following Cardiac Surgery," Ellen L. Idler, David A. Boulifard and
Richard J. Contrada, Journal of Health and Social Behavior (March)
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