Women are more likely than men to use antidepressants after a relationship breakdown later in life, researchers found.
The observational study, funded by the European Research Council and the Academy of Finland, surveyed 228,644 Finnish residents aged 50 to 70 between 1996 and 2018, all of whom lived in Finland between 2000 and 2014. Over the years, she has experienced the breakdown of relationships, divorce, and bereavement.
Of this group, 33% were divorced, 30% separated from their partner and moved away, and 37% were bereaved due to the death of their partner.
This study Professor Yaoyue Hu A research team from Chongqing Medical University found that women who experienced a breakup significantly increased their use of antidepressants compared to men in the four years leading up to the event, with 3.2% of men taking antidepressants. It was found that 6% of
of studyA peer-reviewed paper published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health also found that antidepressant use increased in both men and women in the six months leading up to divorce, by 5% for men and 7% for women. found. His usage stabilized after a year, but both remained higher than before the divorce.
Researchers say the observed patterns in antidepressant use may indicate that women have a harder time emotionally adjusting to divorce or relationship breakdown later in life than men. Stated.
Other factors that may contribute to the disproportionate use of antidepressants include gender differences in family roles, responsibilities, and economic status.
The study found that while more men than women repartnered after bereavement or relationship breakdown, there were no gender differences between those who had been divorced.
“The greater the increase, the more [antidepressant] The use associated with union dissolution among women in our study is certainly related to the fact that the mental health burden of union dissolution falls more heavily on women than on men. “There may be,” the study said.
The researchers added: [antidepressant] Repartnering-related utilization among women compared with men explains that marriage benefits men’s mental health to a greater extent than women, and that older men are more likely than women to seek psychological support from repartnering. may be related to. ”
The study found that gray divorce among people over the age of 50 is increasing in high-income countries due to aging populations.
Gavin Scott, a family law partner at British law firm Freese, said the figure was “not surprising”.
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“In most divorces, the wife remains in a weaker economic position than the husband, set back from career development and being the primary caregiver for their children,” he said.
“Facing the uncertainty of your financial situation after divorce can be emotionally taxing, and the added anticipation of divorce makes it a very painful process, which makes the use of antidepressants difficult. No wonder it’s increasing.
“We often see that even though the marriage has broken down, the parties continue to live together in a very unpleasant atmosphere. In such situations, not only the mental health of the children is affected, but It just takes a toll on their mental well-being.”
