Mortality differences according to marital status among men and women in Kuwait

Abstract

Higher mortality among unmarried persons compared with currently married ones has been reported in many previous studies. There is paucity of such studies in developing countries. We analysed the association between marital status and mortality in Kuwait, an oil-rich Gulf Muslim country. Data were obtained from the Public Authority for Civil Information that has maintained a linked record database of population characteristics with death notifications since 2005. Deaths during 2005–2010 were aggregated for the analysis. Age-specific death rates and standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated according to marital status (married, never married, divorced and widowed), age (15–49, 50–64 and 65+), gender, and nationality (Kuwaiti vs. non-Kuwaiti). Among Kuwaiti nationals, the SMRs for widowed, divorced, and never married were 1.75, 1.68 and 1.15 compared to the married. Higher mortality was found among unmarried men and women at almost all ages. These findings may be indicative of considerable public health problems such as higher disability and depression among the unmarried.

KEYWORDS:

• marital status
• death rate
• gender differences
• Kuwait