Marriage and women’s health
Is “I do” always followed by “happily ever after”? Not necessarily, and a new study has found that women in unhappy marriages are at an elevated risk for an assortment of health problems, including high blood pressure and high blood sugar. In CNN’s report on the University of Utah study, it is reported that while men and women in unhappy marriages were found to exhibit signs of depression, only women showed these physical side effects.
The study subjects were 276 couples, ranging in age from 32 to 76. Researchers determined the level of happiness in each marriage by examining levels of conflict and hostility, and each person’s self-report on marital satisfaction (more women reported being unsatisfied than men). This variable was then set against the health of the subjects - indicators of physical and mental health were recorded. According to Nacy Henry of the University of Utah, men were affected mentally by marital strife - she tells CNN, “For husbands, we didn’t see, on its own, that negative marital stuff was related at all to metabolic syndrome. The only thing it was related to was their depressive symptoms.” However, women experienced these symptoms and more - they were more likely to experience metabolic issues and cardiovascular problems in correlation with levels of conflict. It is suggested that women take marital issues to heart, quite literally, because more of their self-image is wrapped up in their relationship, increasing stress levels.
However, the study does not suggest that divorce would reverse these symptoms. Divorce comes with its own set of stressors, and other lifestyle factors need to be taken into account. This study simply brings attention to the role that social factors play in a patient’s physical health - doctors need to treat the whole person, head included.
