A study published in the Journal of Health and Social Behaviour unveiled that divorce chance increases in married couples if wife gets ill in comparison to those where wife remains healthy. Researchers from the Iowa State University and Purdue are not aware who initiates for divorce.

Wife sickness can lead to divorce, but husband's illness does not matter much and also, it does not have any effect on chances of divorce. The study found that a married couple has 6% more chance of getting a divorce if wife is sick.

Study's lead author Amelia Karraker was of the view that life or death experiences may make people re-assess things that are important in their lives. "These findings suggest the importance of health as a determinant of marital dissolution in later life via both biological and gendered social pathways", affirmed the researchers.

Mary A Languirand, a clinical psychologist, warned that care-giving can be quite stressful. It can be to such an extent that full-time caregivers can be at an increased risk for depression, health problems and substance abuse. In fact, it can lead to relationship conflict.

The researchers assessed the onset of chronic illness like cancer, heart problems, lung disease or stroke. The researchers found that in 2,071 marriages, illness has impacted relationships heavily by either leading to divorce or widowhood. In the study, 32% ended in divorce and 24% in widowhood.

Wife's illness was linked with an increased risk of stroke. It is considered that males generally initiate for the divorce. But the researchers were unable to know who initiated for divorce. The researchers said that wives were found to be less satisfied with care from husbands, which could mean that women are seeking divorce rather than men.