A study by the University of Granada reveals the vulnerable situation faced by many separated or divorced older adults who live alone, as they lack sufficient family and social support to meet their daily needs

Marital breakups do not only have immediate consequences, typical of the moment when cohabitation ends. Research from the University of Granada has found that these consequences can last for decades, eventually becoming a significant factor of vulnerability as people reach old age—especially if they live alone and have little contact with their children or insufficient social support. The study, published in the International Journal of Sociology, was conducted by Juan López Doblas, a professor in the Department of Sociology, and María del Pilar Díaz Conde, a professor in the Department of Social Psychology.

This is the first study conducted in Spain on separated or divorced older adults. It focuses on those whose marriages ended many years ago and on how that experience has shaped their life trajectories and the sources of support available to them today. The study is qualitative in nature, based on in-depth interviews, and its analysis applies gender and life-course perspectives to understand how past decisions and circumstances determine their current quality of life. According to the authors, the observed vulnerability stems from processes accumulated over the course of their lives, in which marital breakdown, subsequent family relationships, and gender inequalities play a key role.

The results show that a significant proportion of these individuals experience deficits in family support and have unmet instrumental needs. Among men, it is common for relationships with sons and daughters to weaken or even be lost following marital breakdown, which reduces the availability of help when health problems, dependency, or difficulties in coping with daily life arise. “It could be said that they were unable to differentiate between their roles as husbands and fathers, so that marital breakdown also led to their absence from the family scene and estrangement from their sons and daughters,” the researchers state. Women generally face a different reality, as they typically took on the responsibility of raising the children and maintained family ties over the years. However, many suffer economic consequences stemming from having raised their children alone and from having had more precarious career paths, which limits their ability to access professional support if they need assistance or care.

The research also highlights significant emotional needs that separated or divorced older adults living alone are unable to meet. Many of the study’s interviewees—especially men—exhibit symptoms of depression and are often affected by feelings of loneliness. These are problems they tend to hide, enduring them in silence and with resignation. “There are those who have no one to whom they can confide a problem, or simply to talk to, due to factors such as estrangement from their children, the failure of any new romantic relationships they’ve had, or their state of social isolation. This makes them vulnerable to feelings of loneliness, mental health disorders, and, ultimately, suicidal thoughts or behaviors,” explain López Doblas and Díaz Conde.

The study concludes that separations and divorces, regardless of the age at which they occur, can have persistent effects that become chronic over time and take on particular significance in old age, when the need for assistance and care increases. For this reason, the researchers believe it is necessary to devote greater social and institutional attention to this group and to develop specific interventions that help improve their quality of life.