Anxiety, depression and associated factors among recently divorced individuals

Abstract

Background

In divorce research, studies using large samples, very recently divorced individuals and validated measures of depression and anxiety with available background populations for comparison are missing.

Aims

This study aimed to investigate symptoms of depression and anxiety among recently divorced Danes and assess the explanatory power of relevant sociodemographic- and divorce-related variables on these symptoms.

Methods

The study utilized an online cross-sectional design and a total of 1856 Danish citizens recruited through the Danish State Administration. Average scores for depression and anxiety were compared to the Danish background population and regression analyses were conducted to assess the explanatory power of sociodemographic- and divorce characteristics on symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Results

Divorcees reported significantly higher levels of both depressive and anxiety symptoms than the background population with a large proportion of the sample scoring equal to or higher than generally recommended cut-off values for risk of suffering from a psychiatric diagnosable case of depression or anxiety. Both sociodemographic- and divorce characteristics were predictive of symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Conclusion

The findings underline the relevance of public health intervention targeting symptoms of depression and anxiety among recently divorced individuals.

Keywords:

• Divorce
• marital dissolution
• anxiety
• depression
• norm data

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Egmont Foundation for support with the development of the digital platform “Cooperation After Divorce”, the Danish State Administration for help during the data collection process, and the Carlsberg Foundation for their funding of the research project “When Marriage Fails”.

Compliance with ethical standards

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained, and participants were informed about the study, its content, and volunarity of participation. Responses were anonymized and stored in anonymous form on a secure server. The study was approved by the Danish Data Protection Agency. The study was exempt from further ethical evaluations following the rules and regulations as set forth by the Scientific Ethical Committees of Denmark.

Disclosure statement

There is no declaration of interest to report.

Data availability

Due to data sensitivity, data cannot be shared publicly. Data analysis syntax is available upon request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by financial support from the Carlsberg Foundation “Distinguished Associate Professor Fellowship” (first author) under Grant No. CF16-0094.