CANCER STRICKEN WOMEN MORE LIKELY TO GET DIVORCED

GOOD MORNING FLINT!
11/13/09
By
Terry Bankert a Flint Divorce Lawyers observation.
　
BACKGROUND: Life-threatening illness creates severe stress that may result in marital discord, separation, or divorce and may adversely impact treatment, quality of life, and survival. [2]

NO DATA ON DIVORCE OF CANCER PAITENTS

Few studies that are available to date have suggested that the risk of divorce is not higher in cancer patients, but to the authors' knowledge, no data exist to date that have examined the effect of gender on this rate.[2]

MEDICAL PROVIDERS SHOULD LOOK FOR MARITAL DISCORD

The researchers said in the study to be published in the journal Cancer that medical providers be sensitive to possible marital discord in couples affected by a serious medical illness, especially when the woman is the affected spouse.[3]
　
WIVES GO IT ALONE WITH CANCER

When Dr. Marc Chamberlain, a Seattle oncologist, was treating his brain cancer patients, he noticed an alarming pattern. His male patients were typically receiving much-needed support from their wives. But a number of his female patients were going it alone, ending up separated or divorced after receiving a brain tumor diagnosis. [1]

CONCLUSIONS: Female gender was found to be a strong predictor of partner abandonment in patients with serious medical illness. When divorce or separation occurred, quality of care and quality of life were adversely affected. Cancer 2009. © 2009 American Cancer Society.[2]
　
STUDY RELEASED

Dr. Chamberlain, chief of the neuro-oncology division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, had heard similar stories from his colleagues. To find out if these observations were based in fact, he embarked on a study with Dr. Michael J. Glantz of the University of Utah Huntsman Cancer Institute and colleagues from three other institutions who began to collect data on 515 patients who received diagnoses of brain tumors or multiple sclerosis from 2001 through 2006. [1]

METHODS: A total of 515 patients were prospectively identified as having either a malignant primary brain tumor (N = 214), a solid tumor with no nervous system involvement (N = 193), or multiple sclerosis (N = 108) who were married at the time of diagnosis. Basic demographic information and data regarding marital status were compiled. Patients were followed prospectively from enrollment until death or study termination. [2]
　
SICK WOMEN 7 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO BE LEFT BY SPOUSE

The results were surprising. Women in the study who were told they had a serious illness were seven times as likely to become separated or divorced as men with similar health problems. [1]

12% IN STUDY ABANDONED

Over all, about 12 percent of the patients in the study ended up separated or divorced, a rate that was similar to that found in the general American population during that time period. (Lifetime divorce rates in the United States are higher.) But the pattern changed when the researchers looked at the patient-divorce breakdown by sex. When the man became ill, only 3 percent experienced the end of a marriage. But among women, about 21 percent ended up separated or divorced. Among couples who split up, divorce occurred, on average, about six months after the diagnosis, although there was wide variability in the timing. [1]

"Female gender was the strongest predictor of separation or divorce in each of the patient groups we studied," study co-author Dr. Marc Chamberlain, director of the neuro-oncology program at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, said in a news release. [4]
　
UNHAPPY WOMEN WITH SICK HUSBAND WILL STICK IT OUT

It is not known whether the illness prompted the breakup or whether the couples in the study who divorced were already experiencing marital problems before the diagnosis. If couples are happy before the diagnosis, it appears that men are more likely to abandon wives who become seriously ill. If couples are already troubled before a partner becomes ill, the finding suggests that women in unhappy marriages are less likely to proceed with a divorce if their husbands become ill. [1]



“All these patients were couples when we met them, but we don’t know about pre-diagnosis marital conflicts that had been festering,” Dr. Chamberlain said. “But the striking part is with life-threatening illness, how often women are abandoned compared to men. That does not speak very well of my gender.” [1]

SICK WOMENS DIVORCE RATE JUMPS FROM 11.6 %TO 20.8%

The study confirmed earlier research of a divorce or separation rate among cancer patients of 11.6 percent, similar to the general population, but found the rate jumped to 20.8 percent when the woman was sick versus 2.9 percent when the man was ill.[3]
　
WOMEN HAVE HIGHER EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENTS

Dr. Chamberlain speculated that differences in male and female roles in the family could explain the trend. “There clearly is an emotional attachment women have to spouse, family and home that in times of stress causes women to hunker down and deal with it, while men may want to flee,” he said. [1]

MEN CANNOT ADJUST

The researchers said the reason men leave a sick spouse can be partly explained by their inability to rapidly adjust to becoming a caregiver and to look after the home and family. [3]
　
WOMEN ARE VULNERABLY TO ABANDONMENT WHEN DIAGNOSED

Additional study is needed to understand why women appear more vulnerable to spousal abandonment after a diagnosis of serious illness. The study did find that couples who had been married longer were less likely to break up after a cancer diagnosis. [1]

SOCIAL WORKERS NEEDED IN WOMEN HEALTH TEAM

Hospitals and oncology practices may also want to consider including social workers and family therapists as part of a patient’s health care team, particularly for younger couples. Patients who lose spousal support after a cancer diagnosis are less likely to complete therapy or try new treatments. They have higher rates of hospitalization and lower rates of hospice care. [1]

SOCIAL SUPPORT IMPORTANT

“It has an enormous impact,” Dr. Chamberlain said. “We know from other studies of patients with cancer that social support is so extremely important.” [1]

EARLY INTERVENTION WILL HELP

"Early identification and psychosocial intervention might reduce the frequency of divorce and separation, and in turn improve quality of life and quality of care," they said.[3]

WHOSE JOB IS IT TO SAVE A MARRIAGE?

"We believe that our findings apply generally to patients with life-altering medical illness," the authors wrote. "We recommend that medical providers be especially sensitive to early suggestions of marital discord in couples affected by the occurrence of a serious medical illness, especially when the woman is the affected spouse and it occurs early in the marriage. [4]

INTERVENTION WITH A SOCIAL WORKER MAY SAVE THE MARRAIGE

Early identification and psychosocial intervention might reduce the frequency of divorce and separation, and in turn improve quality of life and quality of care." [4]


Posted here by
Terry Bankert
http://www.flintfamilylaw.com/
　
[1]
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/men-more-likely-to-leave-spouse-with-cancer/
[2]
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122527377/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
[3]
http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE5AB0C520091112
[4]
http://www.ajc.com/health/content/shared-auto/healthnews/-gen/632994.html

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