Is your spouse making you Sick?

27 March 2006

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New research showed that a bad marriage may be bad for your health.

Whilst other studies have shown that Any marriage is good for you, the research from the University of Texas-Austin and Ohio State University, suggests that a bad marriage is worse than none at all.

The study, financially supported by the federal National Institute on Aging, reports that marital strain is a key source of stress, which can affect one's immune system. But unhappiness also affects people's opinion of how healthy they are.

The findings are not necessarily a reason to rush out and get divorced, however. A good marriage may be better for health, helping people to live linger and more prosperous lives. Rather, it should be considered a reason to identify marital difficulties and improve on them.

In the paper, titled "You Make Me Sick: Marital Quality and Health Over the Life Course," Umberson and her fellow researchers analyzed 1,049 married folks in three waves of interviews.

In determining quality of marriage, the researchers asked, on a five-point scale, "How satisfied are you with your marriage?" They also asked whether the respondent's spouse was willing to listen to problems, and how much their spouse makes them feel loved.

Umberson notes earlier research that has found evidence linking good social relationships to health and long life.

"The married do exhibit better health than the unmarried but it is not the case that any marriage is better than no marriage at all when it comes to health benefits. The quality of relationships is also linked to health," she wrote.

Previous studies have found that individuals in "low quality" marriages exhibit "an even greater health risk than do divorced individuals," Umberson said.

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