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Marriage, widowhood, and health-care use

Author

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  • Iwashyna, Theodore J.
  • Christakis, Nicholas A.

Abstract

Despite suggestive evidence, there has been no adequately powered systematic study of the ways in which marital status influences health care consumption. Using a novel data set of 609,016 newly diagnosed, seriously ill elderly individuals in the USA, and employing hierarchical linear models, we look at differences in the experience of hospitalization as a function of marital status. We find that the married consistently use higher quality hospitals and have shorter lengths of stay. On the other hand, the married and the widowed appear to receive similar quality care once they are in the hospital. Marital status thus has a substantial impact on the health care obtained by the elderly. We suggest that these patterns are most consistent with spouses exerting their benefits by functioning as higher-order decision-makers than as home health assistants.

Suggested Citation

  • Iwashyna, Theodore J. & Christakis, Nicholas A., 2003. "Marriage, widowhood, and health-care use," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 57(11), pages 2137-2147, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:57:y:2003:i:11:p:2137-2147
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Tirivayi, J.N., 2014. "Widowhood and barriers to seeking health care in Uganda," MERIT Working Papers 2014-067, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    2. Subramanian, S.V. & Elwert, Felix & Christakis, Nicholas, 2008. "Widowhood and mortality among the elderly: The modifying role of neighborhood concentration of widowed individuals," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(4), pages 873-884, February.
    3. Kristoffer Koch & Mette Nørgaard & Henrik Carl Schønheyder & Reimar Wernich Thomsen & Mette Søgaard & the Danish Collaborative Bacteremia Network (DACOBAN), 2013. "Effect of Socioeconomic Status on Mortality after Bacteremia in Working-Age Patients. A Danish Population-Based Cohort Study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(7), pages 1-10, July.
    4. Molloy, Gerard John & Stamatakis, Emmanuel & Randall, Gemma & Hamer, Mark, 2009. "Marital status, gender and cardiovascular mortality: Behavioural, psychological distress and metabolic explanations," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(2), pages 223-228, July.
    5. Herbert J A Rolden & David van Bodegom & Rudi G J Westendorp, 2014. "Changes in Health Care Expenditure after the Loss of a Spouse: Data on 6,487 Older Widows and Widowers in the Netherlands," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(12), pages 1-17, December.
    6. Caroline Wambui Kimani & Urbanus Mutuku Kioko & Catherine Ndinda & Pauline Wambui Adebayo, 2023. "Factors Influencing Progressive Utilization of Palliative Care Services among Cancer Patients in Kenya: The Case of Nairobi Hospice," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(19), pages 1-10, October.
    7. Eva Elton & Gilbert Gonzales, 2022. "Health Insurance Coverage and Access to Care by Sexual Orientation and Marital/Cohabitation Status: New Evidence from the 2015–2018 National Health Interview Survey," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(2), pages 479-493, April.
    8. Espinosa, Javier & Evans, William N., 2008. "Heightened mortality after the death of a spouse: Marriage protection or marriage selection?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 27(5), pages 1326-1342, September.
    9. Rolden, Herbert J.A. & van Bodegom, David & Westendorp, Rudi G.J., 2014. "Variation in the costs of dying and the role of different health services, socio-demographic characteristics, and preceding health care expenses," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 110-117.
    10. Peña-Longobardo, L.M. & Rodríguez-Sánchez, B. & Oliva-Moreno, J., 2021. "The impact of widowhood on wellbeing, health, and care use: A longitudinal analysis across Europe," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    11. Solveig Glestad Christiansen, 2014. "Household and family development in the Nordic Countries: An overview," Nordic Journal of Political Economy, Nordic Journal of Political Economy, vol. 39, pages 1-2.
    12. Saarela, Jan & Stanfors, Maria & Rostila, Mikael, 2019. "In sickness or in health? Register-based evidence on partners' mutual receipt of sickness allowance and disability pension," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 240(C).
    13. Lindström, Martin, 2009. "Marital status, social capital, material conditions and self-rated health: A population-based study," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 93(2-3), pages 172-179, December.

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