Marital Quality and Risk Factors for CHD
Wallace, Rebecca; Barber, Nicole; Jensen, Bryan J.; Vella, Paige; Holt-Lunstad, Julianne; Steffen, Patrick R.; Sandberg, Jonathan
Abstract
Epidemiological research indicates that marriage may significantly protect individuals from various causes of morbidity and mortality including cardiovascular disease6,7. There is also growing evidence that marital quality may be equally if not more important than marital status. While married individuals have greater health benefits relative to unmarried individuals, unhappily married individuals may be worse off than unmarried8-10. For instance, marital distress has been associated with a 2 to 3 fold increase in the risk of heart disease11and for recurrent coronary events12.