Happy Marriage = Healthy Partners | Psych Central News

By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on February 14, 2013

New research discovers that people who have happy marriages are more likely to rate their health as better as they age.

The finding complements research that shows married people have better mental and physical health than their unmarried peers and are less likely to develop chronic conditions than widowed or divorced counterparts.

A University of Missouri researcher says that aging adults whose physical health is declining could especially benefit from improving their marriages.

Christine Proulx, Ph.D., an assistant professor, examined the long-term relationship between self-rated health and marital quality. She found that, in all stages of marriage, positive or negative relationships affect the individuals? health.

Spouses should be aware that how they treat each other and how happy they are in their marriages affect both partners? health, and they should think more about their personal relationships when thinking holistically about their health, she said.

?We often think about the aging process as something we can treat medically with a pill or more exercise, but working on your marriage also might benefit your health as you age,? Proulx said.

?Engaging with your spouse is not going to cure cancer, but building stronger relationships can improve both people?s spirits and well-being and lower their stress.?

Proulx believes health professionals should consider patients? personal relationships when designing health promotion programs or treatment plans.

?Physicians should recognize that the strength of patients? marriages might affect their health,? she said.

?I suspect we?d have higher rates of adherence to treatment plans for chronic illnesses if medical professionals placed more of an emphasis on incorporating families and spouses in patients? care.

?If spouses understand their partners? disease and how to treat it at home, and the couple has a strong marriage, both people?s health could improve.?

In the study, Proulx analyzed data from 707 continuously married adults who participated in the Marital Instability Over the Life Course panel study ? a 20-year, nationwide research project.

Most study participants were Caucasian, had more than high school educations, and earned more than $55,000 in annual family income in 2000. Because of these characteristics, Proulx says the participants probably had some protection against marital and health challenges more commonly faced by people of different ethnicities or with less education or income.

The study will be published in the upcoming issue of the Journal of Family Psychology.

Source: University of Missouri

APA Reference
Nauert PhD, R. (2013). Happy Marriage = Healthy Partners. Psych Central. Retrieved on February 16, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/02/14/happy-marriage-healthy-partners/51597.html

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Source: http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/02/14/happy-marriage-healthy-partners/51597.html

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