Promising at the altar to have and to hold your loved one , in sickness and in health , may seem like a straightforward pledge . But for men , some elements of the vow can prove easier to keep than others . A study shows that a couple is more likely to divorce if the wife falls ill . The researchers said their results indicate that some men simply can not cope with a poorly spouse . A study shows that a couple is more likely to divorce if the wife falls ill and researchers said their results indicate that some men simply can not cope with a poorly spouse . After tracking 2,700 couples in the US from 1992 to 2010 , the American team found that divorce levels were roughly the same between healthy couples and those in which the husband suffered sickness . But when disease hit the wife , the likelihood of divorce rose . Every two years the researchers interviewed the couples and asked whether either of them had been ill since their last session . Over the 18 years , 859 marriages ended in divorce , 32 per cent of the sample group . For 24 per cent of the couples , tragedy struck when one spouse died , and 44 per cent were still going strong by the time the study ended . But among the 965 couples in which the woman got sick , the rate of divorce was 6 per cent higher . Lead author Amelia Karraker , assistant professor in family studies at Iowa State University , said illness can add stress to a marriage because men may not be as attuned to taking on a caregiver role as women . ‘ There is a difference between feeling too sick to make dinner and needing someone to actually feed you , ’ she said . ‘ That ’ s something that can really change the dynamics within a marriage . If your spouse is too sick to work , we know that financial strain is a major predictor of divorce. ’ Dr Karraker said wives may also become dissatisfied with their husbands ’ ability to look after them . She added : ‘ Life or death experiences may cause people to re-evaluate what is important in their lives . ‘ It could be that women are saying , “ You ’ re doing a bad job of caring for me or I wasn ’ t happy with the relationship to begin with , and I ’ d rather be alone than in a bad marriage. ” ’ The research was published in the Journal of Health and Social Behaviour .
The study monitored 965 couples in the US from 1992 to 2010 . Researchers say some men simply can not cope with a poorly spouse . Lead author says 'men may not be as attuned to taking on a caregiver role '