Many people say that divorce is no fun for either side of the aisle. However, a recent study from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index says that the woman in the divorce has a higher rate of stress when the divorce documents are signed. Those women also use alcohol and drugs at a higher rate.
Based on more than 130,000 American adults, the Well-Being Index found married people rate their personal well-being higher than those who aren't. Women generally report better well-being then men regardless of their marital status — except those who are separated.
That is where the issue comes in. That category — separated or divorced women — is the category that found the lowest scores of how well they feel they are doing.
"Entering into a marriage can foster a sense of purpose through a shared perspective on life and a need to support another person," according to Gallup's Dan Witters and Lindsey Sharpe. "Similarly, marriage can expand a person's social connections and relationships, increase household wealth and lead to a more permanent housing selection and a related connection to the community. In addition, multiple studies have confirmed that married adults have better health outcomes, likely attributable to reduced stress and having a partner to encourage healthy behaviors and to hold one accountable for choices affecting one's health."
As for stress, Gallup notes that 38.6 percent of married Americans felt stress "a lot of the day yesterday," a number that rose "significantly" for other marital statuses and jumped to 51 percent in cases of separation. Women reported more stress than men generally, "but there is a visibly pronounced stress gap by gender when one compares women who are separated to men who are separated," the report said.