Effects of Marital Disruption on Anxiety, Depression, and Cambodian Somatic Symptoms

The impact of marital disruption (divorce or widowed) on the mental health of Cambodian persons has not been studied with a comprehensive and representative national sample.

In this study, anxiety, depression, and somatic symptoms were compared among divorced, widowed, and married Cambodian individuals using data from a national mental health survey.

Data was collected from 2,690 adults residing in nine randomly selected provinces and Phnom Penh from July to August 2011. Socio-demographic characteristics, depression, anxiety symptoms, somatic symptoms, and marital status were collected during in-person interviews. One-way MANOVAs compared anxiety, depression, and somatic symptoms among married, divorced, and widowed participants.

Significant differences were observed on anxiety, depression, and somatic symptoms. When demographic covariates were added to the MANOVA, significant differences in depression were observed, with married participants reporting lower levels of depression relative to divorced and widowed participants. An analysis of depression items indicated that the participants in the divorced group reported higher levels of feeling blue, feeling lonely, and experiencing thoughts of ending their own life. Moderator analyses indicated that marital disruption significantly indirectly influenced depression via demographic characteristics (age, sex, and income) and significantly directly influenced depression.

These findings suggest that marital disruption is associated with depression in complex ways. Psychosocial interventions may mitigate some of the effects of marital disruption among Cambodian people.