According to a new study, which was based on a survey of 276 couples married for an average of 20 years, marital stress increases the risk of heart damage among women. As for men, they seem to be physically unaffected.

Women in strain marriages are also more likely than men to suffer from depression and have an increased risk of dangerous physiological conditions such as high blood pressure and obesity.
The findings will be presented to the American Psychosomatic Society’s annual meeting.

For the study, the participants filled out questionnaires designed to assess the good and bad aspects of their life as a couple. These questions covered different aspects such as emotional and mutual support, the frequency of arguments and extent of disagreements over issues like sex, kids, and money. Participants, men and women aged between 40 and 70 years old married an average of two decades, also had medical screening that included blood tests and measurements of blood pressure and waist circumference. Researchers also looked for symptoms of depression.

What the study found was that women reporting more marital strain were more likely to report depressive symptoms. They also had more metabolic syndrome symptoms. This problem is known to increase risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
These elements create a strain that can be resumed this way: unpleasant aspects of marriage like arguing and being angry are associated with depression which in turn triggers a higher risk of heart disease due to metabolic syndrome.

The results revealed an interesting phenomenon: although husbands in unhappy marriages were also depressed, they did not show signs of physiological damage to their health.

“The gender difference is important because heart disease is the number-one killer of women as well as men, and we are still learning a lot about how relationship factors and emotional distress are related to heart disease,” the researchers noted.
Professor Tim Smith, co-author of the study, suggested that a healthy diet combined with regular exercise can substantially reduce a woman’s risk of metabolic syndrome. He also said that the research did not suggest that women should avoid marriage but that they should be aware of the damaging affects of marital stress.

The researchers note that improving the quality of intimate relationships might help couples, and especially women, achieve the state of emotional and physical wellbeing. This positive dimension of mental health in which every individual realizes his or her own potential can help couples cope with the normal stresses of life and work productively.

The research also highlights the important aspects of communication in couples’ daily life, suggesting that women should be more careful with the way they manage their emotions as they are more sensitive and responsive to relationship problems than their partners.