This archive report was first published on 28 August 2019.
According to a recent study conducted at Michigan State University, married individuals are less likely to develop dementia as they age.
Researchers analyzed data from the Health and Retirement Study, which included over 15,000 respondents aged 52 and older from 2000 to 2014.
Published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, the study found that divorced participants showed the highest risk of dementia, with divorced men exhibiting a greater disadvantage than their female counterparts.
Lead researcher Hui Liu, a professor of sociology at the university, noted that marital status is an important aspect of life that is often overlooked as a protective factor for dementia.
“The research is important because the number of unmarried older adults in the modern age continues to grow, as people live longer and their marital histories become more complex,” Liu said.
The study's findings suggest that differing economic resources only partly accounted for higher dementia risk among divorced, widowed, and never-married respondents.
Health-related factors, such as behaviors and chronic conditions, also slightly influenced risk among the divorced and married.
These findings will be helpful for health policymakers and practitioners who seek to better identify vulnerable populations and design effective intervention strategies to reduce dementia risk, Liu added.
