|
 Spouses
in bad marriages face greater risk for serious health
problems…Researchers say marital problems affect men and women
equally
WALTHAM, Mass.
-- Spouses in a poor marriage are more likely to be stressed during
the workday, a finding that could mean a greater likelihood of
strokes and heart disease for both husband and wife, according to
researchers at Brandeis University and University College London.
In a study
published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine, the researchers also
found that a bad marriage impacts stress levels of men and women
equally, debunking the myth that a poor relationship affects the
wife more than the husband.
The study
results indicate that in addition to the carryover of work stress
into domestic life that has been evident for many years, there are
also influences of domestic strain on biological function over the
working day and evening.
"What is
happening is that marital problems are spilling into the workplace,"
said study co-author Rosalind Barnett, a senior scientist at the
Women's Studies Research Center at Brandeis and executive director
of its Community, Families & Work Program. "And if these tensions
persist over time, there could be serious health problems."
Barnett
was joined in the research by co-authors Andrew Steptoe, the British
Heart Foundation Professor of Psychology at University College, and
Karen Gareis, the program director of the Community, Families & Work
Program at Brandeis.
In a study
of 105 middle-age civil service workers in the London area, the
researchers found that participants with more marital concerns
reported greater stress and exhibited elevated diastolic and
systolic blood pressure readings during the workday. The results
were the same for men and women.
"It's
generally assumed that primary relationships are more critical to a
women's psychological well-being than men's, but this is not the
case," Barnett said. "When there is marital concern, men and women
are equally affected."
The
researchers pointed to the alarming link between stress and
long-term health problems. Stress is linked to six of the leading
causes of death: heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents,
cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide.
"The
results add to the evidence that psychological factors influence
biological functions in everyday life, and suggest that poor marital
relationships are related to neuroendocrine and cardiovascular
activation as well as to adverse psychological outcomes," the study
concluded.
|
Now,
keep up to date with daily feeds of newly posted stories about America's
Seniors...click on the box to the left