Effect of Marital Status on Women's Quality of Life: A Cross-Sectional Study of Urban Women in Chengalpattu District, Tamil Nadu

Background Quality of life (QoL), as defined by the World Health Organization, is a subjective evaluation influenced by cultural and environmental factors. It is a complex, multidimensional concept that encompasses various aspects of an individual's well-being. This study aimed to understand how marital status affects the QoL of women by comparing married and single women residing in the urban field practice area of a tertiary care Hospital. Methods This cross-sectional study includes 200 women, comprising 100 single and 100 married participants, aged 20-60 years. Data were collected using the WHO-QOL-BREF questionnaire, which assesses the following four domains of QoL: physical, psychological, social, and environmental. Demographic information was also gathered. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS Version 25.0. Results Significant differences were found between single and married women in age distribution (p<0.0001), family type (p=0.002), presence of children (p=0.001), educational qualifications (p=0.02), and family income (p<0.0001). Married women reported higher median family incomes and better QoL scores in the social domain (p<0.0001), while single women were predominantly younger and more likely to live in nuclear families. No significant differences were observed in the physical, psychological, or environmental domains of QoL between the groups. Conclusion The study highlights the impact of marital status on various QoL aspects, with married women experiencing better social support and personal relationships. Despite this, the absence of significant disparities in other QoL domains suggests that marital status does not uniformly affect overall QoL.