Study: Childhood Cancer Survivors Less Likely to Marry

 

A recent study suggests that childhood cancer survivors are 20% to 25% less likely to marry compared with their siblings and the general American population. It is suspected that some of the lingering effects of radiation—such as issues with thinking and memory, growth and physical functioning—seemed to cause these lower marriage rates among cancer survivors. Lead researcher Kadan-Lottick stated, “While it can be debated whether marriage is a desirable outcome, marriage is generally an expected developmental goal in our society to the extent that most U.S. adults are married by the age of 30. Our results suggest that survivors of childhood cancer need ongoing support even as they enter adulthood.”