Spousal spats may harm heart health

The manner in which husbands and wives argue over topics such as money, in-laws, and children, may be a factor in their risk of developing coronary atherosclerosis, or heart disease. Conflicts are an unavoidable part of being in any meaningful relationship, but the way we conduct them is important not only for our relationship health and emotional well-being but maybe even for our physical health as well. Researchers from the University of Utah, USA, did a study of 150 couples, mostly in their 60s, and took behavioural snapshots of married couples by bringing them into the lab and having them discuss a topic that is a source of conflict or disagreement for them. They assumed that the couple's behaviour during the discussion would reflect their long-term pattern of behaviour, although a marital spat in front of the researchers most likely is a muted version of what goes on at home. The videotaped disputes were given a score indicating the extent to which each participant was friendly versus hostile, and submissive versus dominant or controlling. The researchers related these scores to the level of coronary artery calcification -a measure of plaque buildup in the arteries supplying blood to the heart, seen on a CT scan. It was found that wives who were more hostile during the discussion had more calcium deposits in the coronary arteries, placing them at increased risk for a heart attack. This was particularly true for women whose husbands were also hostile so that pattern of reciprocated hostility was associated with atherosclerosis for women. In men, hostility - their own or their wives - was not related to atherosclerosis. However, men who behaved in a dominating or controlling manner - or whose wives behaved in that way - were more likely to have clogged coronary arteries. The above study supports a small but growing body of research that suggests that beyond the health benefits of being married, marital quality seems to make a difference in heart health.