Marital fights could harm the heart!
Mar 6, 2006 - 5:20:00 PM
, Reviewed by: Priya Saxena
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Comments such as "you can be so stupid sometimes" or "you're too negative all the time" were coded as hostile and dominant.
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By IANS,
[RxPG] Marital brawls are harmful for the heart, says a study.
The study, conducted by University of Utah scientists, found marital rows especially hostile arguments between couples could harm their heart's health.
The researchers studied 150 married couples and found that arterial disease in women was linked to either partner demonstrating hostility, but in men it was linked to either showing controlling behaviour.
The researchers studied the couples, with at least one partner in their sixties, who were all paid to participate in the study.
Among study participants none had ever been diagnosed of cardiovascular disease.
Each couple was asked to pick a topic, such as money, in-laws, children, vacations and household chores - that caused disagreements in their marriage.
They were then videoed while they discussed the topic, watched by psychology students.
It was assumed such discussions were "muted" versions of what happened at home because the couples were being watched.
The comments were coded as friendly or hostile, submissive or dominant or controlling.
For example, comments such as "you can be so stupid sometimes" or "you're too negative all the time" were coded as hostile and dominant.
Participants were also given a scan to check for signs of disease. When the results were analysed, it was found that the wives who made the most hostile comments during the discussion had a greater degree of calcification, which indicates that plaque is building up in the arteries that supply blood to the heart.
Particularly high levels of calcification were found in women who behaved in a hostile and unfriendly way and who were interacting with husbands who were also hostile and unfriendly, the researchers found.
However, husbands who displayed more dominance or controlling behaviour, or whose wives displayed such behaviour, were more likely than other men to have more severe hardening of the arteries.
Some couples who were most hostile were referred to marriage guidance by the researchers.
None of the people with plaque build-up were classed as a medical emergency, but some had scores which were high enough for them to be advised to talk to their doctor.
Publication:
Indo-Asian News Service
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