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Published on: November 4, 2021
[Medical speciality, belief in Santa and the risk of divorce]
Kamma Sundgaard Lund1, Rune Munck Aabenhus, Anne Beiter Arreskov
1kaml@sund.ku.dk.
Introduction:
Christmas is a unique time for family occasions - unfortunately the number of divorces increase in the months after Christmas. In this study, we examined the relationship between medical speciality, length of relationship, risk of divorce and if belief in Santa impacted on these outcomes.
Material And Methods:
A questionnaire was developed from the lived experiences of the authors and distributed to doctors of any speciality through links (SurveyXact) in emails, text messages and Facebook from June 28 2016 to August 1 2016. Multivariate regression models were used to analyze the results.
Results:
A total of 1,100 completed questionnaires were included in the analyses. The divorce rate among respondents was 12%. Compared to the speciality "general practice" all other specialities had higher divorce rates. The highest risk of divorce was reported by physicians specialized in psychiatry (odds ratio 2.13 (95% confidence interval: 1.03-4.43)). Belief in Santa was associated with a slightly increased risk of divorce in all medical specialities, with the exception of psychiatry. General practitioners also exhibited the longest duration of relationships compared to peers in other medical specialities.
Conclusion:
Being a general practitioner was associated with a low risk of divorce and significantly longer relationships than in other medical specialities. Belief in Santa in regard to divorce only seemed to be beneficial for psychiatrists. So please participate in the joy of Christmas but do not rely on Santa - go shop your own presents for the family.
Funding:
none.
Trial Registration:
not relevant.
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