Skip to main content
Journal cover image

Marital history and survival after a heart attack.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Dupre, ME; Nelson, A
Published in: Soc Sci Med
December 2016

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and nearly one million Americans will have a heart attack this year. Although the risks associated with a heart attack are well established, we know surprisingly little about how marital factors contribute to survival in adults afflicted with heart disease. This study uses a life course perspective and longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study to examine how various dimensions of marital life influence survival in U.S. older adults who suffered a heart attack (n = 2197). We found that adults who were never married (odds ratio [OR] = 1.73), currently divorced (OR = 1.70), or widowed (OR = 1.34) were at significantly greater risk of dying after a heart attack than adults who were continuously married; and the risks were not uniform over time. We also found that the risk of dying increased by 12% for every additional marital loss and decreased by 7% for every one-tenth increase in the proportion of years married. After accounting for more than a dozen socioeconomic, psychosocial, behavioral, and physiological factors, we found that current marital status remained the most robust indicator of survival following a heart attack. The implications of the findings are discussed in the context of life course inequalities in chronic disease and directions for future research.

Duke Scholars

Altmetric Attention Stats
Dimensions Citation Stats

Published In

Soc Sci Med

DOI

EISSN

1873-5347

Publication Date

December 2016

Volume

170

Start / End Page

114 / 123

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Widowhood
  • United States
  • Survivors
  • Spouses
  • Single Person
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Prospective Studies
  • Myocardial Infarction
  • Marital Status
  • Male
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Dupre, M. E., & Nelson, A. (2016). Marital history and survival after a heart attack. Soc Sci Med, 170, 114–123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.10.013
Dupre, Matthew E., and Alicia Nelson. “Marital history and survival after a heart attack.Soc Sci Med 170 (December 2016): 114–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.10.013.
Dupre ME, Nelson A. Marital history and survival after a heart attack. Soc Sci Med. 2016 Dec;170:114–23.
Dupre, Matthew E., and Alicia Nelson. “Marital history and survival after a heart attack.Soc Sci Med, vol. 170, Dec. 2016, pp. 114–23. Pubmed, doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.10.013.
Dupre ME, Nelson A. Marital history and survival after a heart attack. Soc Sci Med. 2016 Dec;170:114–123.
Journal cover image

Published In

Soc Sci Med

DOI

EISSN

1873-5347

Publication Date

December 2016

Volume

170

Start / End Page

114 / 123

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Widowhood
  • United States
  • Survivors
  • Spouses
  • Single Person
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Prospective Studies
  • Myocardial Infarction
  • Marital Status
  • Male