A Systematic Review: The Effect of Cancer on the Divorce Rate

Abstract

IntroductionResearch on the impact of cancer on close relationships brings up conflicting results. This systematic review collects empirical evidence on the research questions whether a cancer diagnosis in general or the type of cancer affects the divorce rate.Materials and MethodsThis systematic review was conducted according to the guidelines of the Cochrane Collaboration and the PRISMA statement. The following electronic databases were searched: Web of Science, Ovid SP MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PsyINDEX, CINAHL, ERIC. Risk of bias assessment was performed with the preliminary risk of bias for exposures tool template (ROBINS-E tool). The grading of methodological quality was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.ResultsOf 13,929 identified records, 15 were included in the qualitative synthesis. In 263,616 cancer patients and 3.4 million healthy individuals, we found that cancer is associated with a slightly decreased divorce rate, except for cervical cancer, which seems to be associated with an increased divorce rate.DiscussionAccording to this systematic review, cancer is associated with a tendency to a slightly decreased divorce rate. However, most of the included studies have methodologic weaknesses and an increased risk of bias. Further studies are needed.

A Random Forest Model for Post-Treatment Survival Prediction in Patients with Non-Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck

“…This phenomenon has also been reported by other studies dividing marital status into three or more subgroups, which is possibly because of a large alteration of living status; more psychological stress; and the start of worse bad habits, like alcohol abuse [29][30][31][32]. Furthermore, according to the systematic review by Fugmann et al, the stability of the marital status of cancer patients is different from the general population [33], especially for younger patients [34]. Therefore, investigating the effect of divorce, as well as being widowed or separated, might be more important for tumor patients.…”

Factors Influencing the Formation, Continuation, and Dissolution of Marital Relationships in Iran in 2022: A Qualitative Analysis

“…Physical disorders also have a similar effect as mental and personality disorders. Unexpected physical injuries (Hedari & Modabernezhad, 2021), for example; cervical cancer (Fugmann et al, 2022), is associated with an increased inclination towards separation.…”

Divorce and Cancer

“…The chronic and devastating nature of cancer often leads to psychological trauma among patients. The illness has the potential to induce substantial modifications to the patient's way of life, consequently exerting a noteworthy impact on the lifestyle of their significant other (Dominik Fugmann et al, 2022;Saeed M. Alzahrani et al, 2018).…”

“…Divorce has negative effects on everyone involved, including socially, financially, and physically. There is a statistically significant increase in mortality among those who have been divorced (Dominik Fugmann et al, 2022;Saeed M. Alzahrani et al, 2018). Social and emotional support from loved ones is one of the greatest protective elements for people with cancer.…”

“…Social and emotional support from loved ones is one of the greatest protective elements for people with cancer. With an annual incidence of 18.1 million cases worldwide, any correlation between cancer and the breakdown of marriage would be of great importance (Dominik Fugmann et al, 2022;Saeed M. Alzahrani et al, 2018).…”