Tyler Harris, Brigham Young University
Health
Background
Humans consistently seek for companionship. In recent years marriage has seen a decline in both number and longevity, despite the clear psychological benefits that have been shown for those involved social relationships. Research has also shown an inverse relationship between the number and quality of relationships and health status. In addition to health status, an incredible amount of research has examined the relationship between marriage and mortality.
Objectives
This meta-analytic review was conducted to determine the size of the effect of marriage on mortality through a meta-analysis of current research, and to examine possible moderating factors, such as age or gender. Meta-analysis analyzes data from multiple data sets from differing geographic regions, settings, and/or time periods to draw conclusions about a larger population. This method allows researchers to discover generalized findings across a very large sample.
Data Extraction
This meta-analysis compiled a comprehensive list of more than 300 scholarly articles containing multivariate data including marriage and death respectively as independent and dependent variables. Articles were found in a variety of fields ranging from medicine to psychology. Data was extracted on multiple characteristics in order to provide a more holistic view.
Conclusions
The results of the review show that marriage is heavily correlated with a decrease in mortality. There is a greater likely hood of survival for those in a marriage relationship. In a world were marriage is decreasing, our review found that marriage will contribute to a longer life.