Socioeconomic Status, Marital Status Continuity and Change, Marital Conflict, and Mortality

Objective: The authors investigated (a) whether being continuously married compared with other marital status trajectories over 5 years attenuates the adverse effects of lower education and lower income on longevity, (b) whether being in higher conflict as well as lower conflict marriage compared with being single provides a buffer against socioeconomic status inequalities in mortality, and (c) whether the conditional effects of marital factors on the SES-mortality association vary by gender. Method: The authors estimated logistic regression models with data from adults aged 30 or above who participated in the National Survey of Families and Households 1987-2002. Results: Being continuously married, compared with being continuously never married or making a transition to separation/divorce, buffered mortality risks among men with low income. Mortality risk for low-income men was also lower in higher conflict marriages compared with being never married or previously married. Discussion: Marriage ameliorates mortality risks for some low-income men.