The Emotional Toll of Spousal Morbidity and Mortality

• Published in: The American journal of geriatric psychiatry 2007-09, Vol.15 (9), p.772-779
• Main Authors: Zivin, Kara, Ph.D, Christakis, Nicholas A., M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Bereavement; Caregivers - psychology; caregiving; Cohort Studies; Cost of Illness; Cross-Sectional Studies; depression; Depressive Disorder - diagnosis; Depressive Disorder - epidemiology; Depressive Disorder - psychology; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Hospitalization - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Internal Medicine; Male; Medicare; Mental Disorders - diagnosis; Mental Disorders - epidemiology; Mental Disorders - psychology; mental health and substance abuse; Proportional Hazards Models; Risk Factors; Sick Role; Spouses - psychology; Substance-Related Disorders - diagnosis; Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology; Substance-Related Disorders - psychology; United States
• ISSN: 1064-7481; 1545-7214
• DOI: 10.1097/JGP.0b013e318050c9ae

Objective Spouse caregivers have an increased risk of mental and physical illness during caregiving and widowhood. The authors sought to evaluate whether partners of an ill spouse have a higher likelihood of developing mental health or substance abuse (MHSA) disorders than partners who have healthy spouses, accounting for both spousal illness and death. Methods The authors used Medicare claims from 1993–2001 for 474,228 married couples. The authors used Cox models to determine the effect of spouse illness on partner MHSA diagnosis, controlling for demographic and clinical characteristics. Results A wife's hospitalization increased the husband's risk of MHSA diagnosis by 1.29 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.28–1.29) and his risk of depression by 1.49 (95% CI: 1.48–1.51). A husband's hospitalization increased the risk of a wife's MHSA diagnosis by 1.33 (95% CI: 1.32–1.33) and her risk of depression by 1.41 (95% CI: 1.39–1.42). A wife's death increased the risk of the husband's MHSA diagnosis by 1.12 (95% CI: 1.11–1.13) and increased his risk of depression by 1.49 (95% CI: 1.46–1.51). A husband's death increased the risk of the wife's MHSA diagnosis by 1.14 (95% CI: 1.14–1.15) and increased her risk of depression by 1.41 (95% CI: 1.39–1.42). Conclusion Spouse hospitalizations and spouse death independently increase the risk for partner MHSA and depression diagnoses. These findings can identify which individuals are at greatest risk for emotional distress and should be targeted for interventions to relieve caregiver burden that can arise separately and additively from both spousal illness and death.