Dementia And Divorce: Correlates Of Divorce And Separation

(CTN News) – Researchers found that older adults in the United States who are at a later stage of dementia have a lower probability of divorce or separation, while those with severe neuropsychiatric behavioral symptoms are more likely to experience divorce, according to a study published online on Aug. 16 in PLOS ONE.

The Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, and Yale University colleagues, led by Joan K. Monin, Ph.D., examined the impact of dementia staging and neuropsychiatric behavioral symptoms on divorce and separation among older adult married couples or couples living as married and domestic partners based on data derived from version 2 and version 3 of the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center Uniform dataset.

For each case of married/living-as-married, five controls were selected for each divorce or separation that occurred during the follow-up period and 291 cases of divorce or separation that occurred during follow-up.

Based on the results of their studies, the researchers found that divorce/separation was negatively associated with dementia at a later stage (adjusted odds ratio of 0.68) according to their findings.

An analysis of the data showed that in general, higher Neuro Psychiatric Inventory scores were associated with divorce/separation (adjusted odds ratio, 1.08), and this association was statistically significant.

A greater likelihood of divorce/separation was observed when a greater severity of agitation/aggression, depression/dysphoria, disinhibition, elation/euphoria, and disinhibition was reported.

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