Washington, Dec 3 - Married people are living longer these days, but the widowed are experiencing a higher mortality rate, according to new research.

"With the improvements in medical technology, it seems all population groups should be healthier and living longer," Hui Liu said of the growing mortality rate for the widowed. She is study author and assistant professor of sociology at Michigan State University (MSU).

Research from as far back as 1858 has shown that married people generally live longer than non-married, but little is known how this relationship has changed over time in the US. Liu set out to explore recent trends in mortality by marital status.

Liu analysed the data of more than a half-million people in the US government's National Health Interview Survey and found that, as expected, the overall mortality rate for married people decreased from 1986 to 2000.

The rate also decreased or at least remained stable among all cause-specific deaths examined except diabetes, which saw an increase.

The mortality rate for the never-married also decreased, although it remained higher than that of married people. But when it came to widowed people, the overall mortality rate increased. This was especially true for white women.

In general, widowhood is associated with reduced economic resources and loss of social support, which may contribute to a higher mortality risk, the new study says.

But the stress and emotional trauma of losing a spouse as a confidante might be greater now than in the past as the average duration of marriage becomes longer with increasing life expectancy, the study notes. (IANS)