Marital Status and Psychological Wellbeing of Filipino Women

Socorro A. Gultiano, University of San Carlos
Graeme Ferdinand D. Armecin, University of San Carlos

In developing countries like the Philippines, little is known about the association of changes in marital status from a married state and women’s psychological health. Using data from the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey of some 2,000 childbearing women in Metro Cebu, Philippines, this study examines the relationship between marital transitions from a married status and psychological wellbeing. We classify marital status transitions as: 1) still with first spouse, 2) widowed, 3) separated, and 4) remarried. Wellbeing is measured in terms of: 1) an index of depression symptoms experienced in the last month and 2) an index of violent acts done by, and done to, women in the last year. Logistic regression results show that transition to widowhood increases the likelihood of depression but reduces that of domestic violence. Remarriage increases the odds of being a victim of violence but is unrelated to depression and the perpetration of violence.