Gender Disparity in Mental Health Impact of Divorce and Break-ups
A study suggests that women may have a harder time emotionally adjusting to divorce or relationship breakups in later life than men, as indicated by patterns of antidepressant use. Both men and women increased their antidepressant use leading up to and immediately following a divorce, breakup, or bereavement, but women's use was greater. Re-partnering was associated with a slight reduction in antidepressant use for both sexes, but this was short-lived for women. The study tracked the antidepressant use of over 200,000 older Finns and found that women's use of antidepressants increased again from the first year onwards after a breakup, indicating a continuous impact on mental health.