Marital status, health, illness andservice use

Substantial differences are shown to exist between marital groups in their mortality rates, illness experience and use of health services. Evidence is presented which suggests that only a small part of the observed variations can be attributed to the selective effects of marriage and remarriage. The main factor appears to be that of the effects of the occupancy of different marital states, with this being associated with differences in stress, life styles and social support, as well with possible differences in illness behaviour and what is perceived as their relative needs for care from the official services.