The Relationship Between Marital Status and the Risk of Psychiatric Referral

¹ Research Fellow, Department of Mental Health, Research Unit, Cornhill Road, Aberdeen AB9 2ZX

The relationship between marital status and the risk of psychiatric referral was examined among all new patients from the North-East Scottish Region entering psychiatric care for the first time in their lives between 1963 and 1967, a total of 9,776 cases. A comparison of referral rates by marital status, sex and age showed that the main marital groups with high risks of referral to psychiatric services were the divorced of both sexes, widowed males, widowed females aged 20-54, married females aged 16-24 and single males older than 25. These findings differ from those of previous studies based only on hospital admission data.

A comparison of diagnostic groups by marital status, sex and age revealed important differences in the marital status distribution in different diagnostic groups. Single males had higher rates of referral than married males for the psychoses and alcoholism, but for the neuroses and personality disorders rates were similar for the two groups. Single females had increased risks of referral in comparison with married females only for schizophrenia.

The hypothesis that a single person when developing symptoms of mental illness is more likely to be admitted to mental hospital, whereas a married person is more likely to be treated in the community, was proved true. Proportionately more single persons of both sexes were admitted directly to hospital than were referred to extra-mural psychiatric services. Results are discussed in relation to previous studies and the hypotheses regarding marital status and mental illness are reappraised in the light of the present findings.