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Men and women are most likely to have suicidal thoughts within a year of a marriage or de-facto relationship breakup, new ANU research has found.
The vulnerability may be due to the trauma of the breakup, along with subsequent changes in social networks affecting people's sense of belonging, said lead author of the study Dr Philip Batterham, from the ANU Centre for Mental Health Research.
"The prevalence of suicidal thoughts among recently separated men and women is three times higher than for those who remain married, or in de-facto relationships," he said.
He said the study highlights the need for governments and health services to better target mental health services to people who have recently separated from a marriage or a relationship.
Abstract available at Social Science & Medicine: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953614002287
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