Study: Marital strife can be bad for your health

BOSTON – Marriage, in general, is associated with better health. But marital strife can be harmful.

Researchers at Ohio State University studied 42 married heterosexual couples who had been together for an average of 12 years. 

They tested their blood for inflammatory markers and raised small blisters or wounds on each partner's forearm.  

They found that when the married couples communicated with each other in negative ways, both spouses, but especially the women, suffered emotionally, had higher levels of inflammation, and their wounds took longer to heal, suggesting that their immune system was impaired.  

They say couples can learn better communication skills to reduce negative, unhealthy interactions.

In:
• Boston

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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