Why marriage is good for your health

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Published Jan 11, 2013

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London - They say your wedding day is supposed to be the happiest of your life. A new study has found that this positive effect may well last for a good few years afterwards.

Researchers found pregnant women who had already tied the knot were far less likely to suffer from post-natal depression than those who just cohabited.

The study of more than 6 000 women looked at the risks and benefits of marriage.

It found women who cohabited with their partners, as opposed to being married to them, were also more likely to suffer domestic abuse and or abuse drugs.

Research leader Dr Marcelo Urquia, from the University of Toronto, said: “We did not see that pattern among married women, who experienced less psycho-social problems, regardless of the length of time they lived together with their spouses.”

The study found that 10.6 percent of married women suffered from post-natal depression. The figure rose to 20 percent for women cohabiting in “common-law” relationships and 35 percent for single women. Most dramatically, it rose to 67 percent for women who were separated or divorced in the year before the birth of a child.

“One cannot recommend people get married, that is their choice. But what this (study) is showing is that those who commit to marriage may have some characteristics that make them different from others, and those characteristics play a protective role for psycho-social well-being,” Dr Urquia said. – Daily Mail

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