Men find divorce harder to deal with than women

Men are more likely than women to suffer depression as a result of a divorce, according to new research.

A study conducted by Statistics Canada using emotional health data from the National Population Health Survey has found that in comparison to married men, divorced men were six times more likely to experience depression.

Divorced women, on the other hand, were only 3.5 time more likely to be depressed than their married counterparts,

The report noted: "Research has suggested that for men the loss of custody or a change in parental responsibilities is one of the most stressful aspects of a break-up."

Taking into account that fact that in 2003 there were 71,000 divorces in Canada and thousands more separations, as well as the link between mental health problems and divorce, the study concluded that "these findings are relevant to population health."

"Many men rely solely on their partner for support, while women tend to have larger social networks," commented Michelle Rotermann, the study's author.