Marriage good for health: study

WELLINGTON, Dec. 15 (Xinhua/GNA) -- Getting married is good for health, according a New Zealand-led international study of nearly 35,000 people across 15 countries.

The study released on Tuesday showed that tying the knot was positive for the mental health of both men and women, reducing the risks of the likelihood of most mental disorders such as depression, anxiety and substance abuse.

The world-first study, led by clinical psychologist Kate Scott from the University of Otago, was based on World Health Organization mental health surveys across developing and developed countries in the past decade, and published in the UK journal Psychological Medicine.

By contrast, separation, divorce or being widowed was associated with substantially increased risk of mental health disorders in both genders; particularly substance abuse for women and depression for men, the study found.

On the downside, the study showed that ending marriage can increase the risk of mental health problems.

GNA