• Latest
  • All
Does Marriage Make You Stronger?

Does Marriage Make You Stronger?

April 20, 2020
Kentucky’s abortion ban upheld after lawsuit dropped

Kentucky’s abortion ban upheld after lawsuit dropped

June 4, 2025
Jersey’s trans inclusion guidance sparks parental outrage

Jersey’s trans inclusion guidance sparks parental outrage

May 27, 2025
IOF’s joint statement for the 2022 Commission on the Status of Women

Protect and Promote Your National Treasure! IOF’s joint statement for the 2025 International Day of Families

May 15, 2025
Former Louisville University professor wins $1.6 million over dismissal for criticism of transgender treatments for children

Former Louisville University professor wins $1.6 million over dismissal for criticism of transgender treatments for children

April 26, 2025
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: Alfredo Borba

Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88

April 21, 2025
Author: Tom Morris

U.K. Supreme Court defines woman based on biological sex

April 16, 2025
New Colorado bill punishes moms and dads for rejecting trans ideology

New Colorado bill punishes moms and dads for rejecting trans ideology

April 5, 2025
Female fencer Stephanie Turner faces penalties for refusal to compete against transgender opponent

Female fencer Stephanie Turner faces penalties for refusal to compete against transgender opponent

April 3, 2025
Georgia Governor to sign Riley Gaines Act of 2025, safeguarding women’s sports from transgender ideology

Georgia Governor to sign Riley Gaines Act of 2025, safeguarding women’s sports from transgender ideology

April 2, 2025
Humanity’s indispensable but unsung heroes

Humanity’s indispensable but unsung heroes

March 18, 2025
  • About iFamNews
  • Contact

Navigation Button Subscribe

  • Subscribe
June 5, 2025
  • Login
  • Register
No Result
View All Result
  • English
    • Italiano
    • Español
    • Français
    • Deutsch
    • Polski
    • српски
    • Русский
    • Hrvatski

Navigation Button Donate

  • Donate
International Family News Network (IFN)
  • Home
  • Opinion
  • Life
  • Family
  • Culture
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Science
  • Shows
  • Petitions
  • Subscribe
  • Donate
International Family News Network (IFN)
  • Home
  • Opinion
  • Life
  • Family
  • Culture
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Science
  • Shows
  • Petitions
  • Subscribe
  • Donate
No Result
View All Result
International Family News Network (IFN)
No Result
View All Result

Does Marriage Make You Stronger?

The Impact of Marriage on Physical Capability

Nicole King by Nicole King
April 20, 2020
in Breaking News, Science
426
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Does Marriage Make You Stronger?
Share on FacebookShare on WhatsAppShare on TelegramShare on TwitterShare on WeChat

Last updated on April 21st, 2020 at 10:33 am

In a time of pandemic, in which we are increasingly seeking to understand what makes for better health, the impact of marriage and family cannot be ignored. Much research has already demonstrated the benefits of marriage—married people live longer, are healthier, and have fewer depressive symptoms than their unmarried, widowed, or divorced/separated peers. But a new study seeks to understand the relationship between marriage and a key component of living well in old age—physical capability.

The British researchers highlight that while much research already exists on the impact marriage has on both physical and mental health, few studies explore the association between marriage and physical capability, defined as “the capacity to undertake the physical tasks of daily living” and “a key indicator of healthy ageing, not specific to a particular disease or condition.” 

To better understand this relationship, the team of researchers mine data from both the U.S. and U.K., specifically from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) and the US Health and Retirement Study (HRC). Two specific measures of “physical capability” were assessed: grip strength and walking speed, with an “exposure of interest” of marital status (distinguishing between first and subsequent marriages).

After measuring for a number of covariables (including age, sex, ethnicity, work and parental status, and socioeconomic status), the researchers discerned some clear patterns. In men, “widowed and never married men in ELSA had a weaker grip strength than men in their first marriage. . . . In HRS all groups of unmarried men had a weaker grip strength than men in their first marriage.” Much of this difference is attributable to the better socioeconomic position of married men compared to their widowed or unmarried peers (marriage also has a significant impact upon wealth accumulation). Among women, the results were similar, although “[a]mong women in both ELSA and HRS there was not as much variation in grip strength among the different marital statuses as among men.” Interestingly, “Remarried men had relatively stronger grip strength than remarried women, whilst widowed and never married women had relatively stronger grip strength than their male counterparts.”

For walking speed, the researchers found that “all unmarried men had a slower walking speed than men who were in their first marriage, in both surveys.” Again, socioeconomic status either largely or partly explained these differences. For women, “unmarred women in both ELSA and HRC had a slower walking speed than women in their first marriage, and the addition of the socioeconomic measures, primarily wealth, attenuated this association.”

Overall, the researchers deduced, “an association was found between marriage and physical capability at mid to later life, with those who were unmarried displaying poorer physical capability than their counterparts who had remained in their first marriage.” The researchers close by suggesting, “The importance of wealth in explaining much of the poorer physical capability among older unmarried people suggests that increases in access to economic resources available to unmarried people may help to maintain physical capability and independent living at older ages.” 

In other words, in the absence of strong family support systems, the state once again is forced to step in to equalize experiences for older American and British adults.

Tags: Marriage
Nicole King

Nicole King

Nicole M. King is the Managing Editor of IOF's journal, The Natural Family: An International Journal of Research and Policy, the United States’ leading journal of family-policy research. In that capacity, she writes, edits and corresponds with editors and contributors to ensure that each issue provides the most relevant and accurate research and policy analysis available. Nicole holds a B.A. in English as well as M.A.s in English and Political Theory. She has contributed to The Front Porch Republic and Chronicles: A Magazine of American Culture, among others. She is also a contributing editor to SALVO Magazine and a blogger at salvomag.com.

Discussion about this post

Popular News

  • Jersey’s trans inclusion guidance sparks parental outrage

    Jersey’s trans inclusion guidance sparks parental outrage

    0 shares 20 VIEWS
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Kentucky’s abortion ban upheld after lawsuit dropped

    0 shares 19 VIEWS
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Justice continues with the proceedings against the organizers of the procession of the “Santina Queer” in Gijon after the complaint of Christian Lawyers.

    0 shares 17 VIEWS
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Christian Lawyers request to Justice the withdrawal of a coloring booklet in the city hall of Ciudad Real(Spain)

    0 shares 17 VIEWS
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Christian Lawyers once again paralyzes the demolition of a cross, in this case in Teruel (Spain).

    0 shares 9 VIEWS
    Share 0 Tweet 0

IFN – International Family News Network

© 2022 IFN – International Family News - All Rights Reserved.

Quick Links

  • About iFamNews
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

Follow Us

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Subscribe

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Opinion
  • Life
  • Family
  • Culture
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Science
  • Shows
  • Petitions
  • Subscribe
  • Donate

  • en English
  • it Italiano
  • es Español
  • fr Français
  • de Deutsch
  • pl Polski
  • sr српски
  • ru Русский
  • hr Hrvatski
  • Login
  • Sign Up

© 2022 IFN – International Family News - All Rights Reserved.