By Carrie A. Moore

Women diagnosed with cancer or multiple sclerosis are over six times more likely to be divorced than men with the same diagnosis, according to a new study co-authored by a former researcher at the Huntsman Cancer Institute.

And while none of the study subjects came from Utah hospitals, the results come as no surprise to an experienced local psychotherapist, who has seen the pattern replicated here despite the fact that Utahns place a high value on marriage and family support.

Dr. Marc Chamberlain, chief of the division of neuro-oncology at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, said the study was undertaken after he and Dr. Michael Glantz, a fellow neurologist and former Huntsman researcher, noticed that several of their female patients experienced a divorce after their cancer diagnosis.

Continue reading Are Men More Likely to Leave an Ill Spouse?