Marital harmony – or conflict – accounts for nearly 10% of variation in self-ratings of mental health, study finds

Australian adults who report having a good relationship that meets their initial expectations tend to have higher mental health outcomes, while adults who report loving their spouse but wish they had never formed a relationship and who rate relationship problems tend to have significantly lower mental health outcomes, according to a survey of nearly 7,000 Australian adults published in PLOS ONE by Bernard Kwadwo Yeboah Asiamah-Asare and colleagues.

Many recent studies have examined the possible social determinants of mental health. In this study, Yeboah Asiamah-Asare and colleagues looked specifically at how marriage or past marital experiences may interact with self-reported financial problems and mental health status.

To assess how these factors may be associated, the authors analyzed data collected from 6,846 Australian adults responding to the latest iteration of the Household, Income and Work Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey.

Respondents were mostly aged over 42 (61%), born in Australia (78%) and married (78%), with an almost even gender split (51% female). About 7% had poor mental health, the survey found. About 2% of the variation in mental health scores could be attributed to demographic characteristics: participants aged 60 and older tended to have higher mental health scores than participants younger than 25; being female, born outside Australia, retired and/or a student were also associated with poorer mental health outcomes.

Three percent of the variation in mental health scores could be linked to financial difficulties, with participants answering “yes” when asked if they had experienced difficulty paying their utility bills on time, s ‘they had pawned or sold some possessions, asked friends/family for financial help, or sought help from social/community agencies which tend to have poorer health outcomes mental.

Perceptions of marriage and relationships accounted for 10% of the variation in mental health scores, with participants who perceived their relationships as good and meeting their initial expectations tending to have higher mental health scores. Conversely, participants who reported many problems in their marriage or relationship, very often wished they had not been married or entered into a relationship, and reported loving their spouse very much, were less likely to report better condition mental health.

The authors note that this finding that love is not enough to improve mental health scores among people experiencing relationship difficulties was surprising and unexpected, and suggest further research to investigate possible confounding factors. They also highlight the importance of marriage and relationships in understanding mental health more holistically.

The authors add: “There is a need for more policy attention to the social determinants of poor mental health, particularly perceptions of marriage or relationships, which have received less policy and research attention in Australia . »