Does Marital Stress Harm Women’s Brains?

Mental health professionals have long debated about the relationship between marital stress and the mental health of women. An article published in Medical News Today March 5, 2009, “Marital Strain Harms Women More Than Men,” examines this issue. The article reports on a study presented at the American Psychosomatic Society's 2009 annual meeting in Chicago. The researchers studied, “…276 couples who had been married for an average of 20 years and were aged between 40 and 70 years….The participants filled in several questionnaires…covering positive aspects of marriage quality (eg mutual support, emotional warmth, friendliness, confiding in each other), negative aspects of marriage quality (eg arguments, hostility, disagreements) and symptoms of depression (not necessarily full blown clinical depression)… The participants also underwent physical exams where blood pressure, waist measurement, good cholesterol, fasting glucose and blood fats were measured.” The results of the study were concerning. “….Women who reported more marital strain had more metabolic syndrome symptoms, and that association can be explained by the fact they also reported more depressive symptoms." There are several important implications of this study. First, adult married women who are experiencing significant marital stress should consult a qualified mental health professional to determine their current and future risk of medical disorders. Second, mental health professionals who treat adult married women who report marital stress should routinely screen for medical problems in these patients. Third, spouses of adult married women who are experiencing marital stress should educate themselves with the help of a qualified mental health professional to understand they can help their spouse reduce marital stress. Fourth, public health professionals should educate the public about the link between marital stress and medical disorders. The researchers conclude, “….improving aspects of intimate relationships might help [a woman’s] emotional and physical well-being".

The Bottom Line: The results of this study strongly suggest marital stress can harm a woman’s health.     

Reference: Original article

Great Informational Websites Created by Dr. Speller and Dr. Korkosz:

• Stress and the Human Brain
• Early Life Stress and the Immune System
• The Facts About Major Depressive Disorder
• The Parent's Guide to Understanding Adolescent Depression

Sources: See blogposts in Psychiatric Disorders: General

Additional Resources:

• For related articles on the Web, click on: “Sphere: Related Content” located at the bottom of this blog post.
• For related books or blog posts with related content in Dr. Jeff’s and Dr. Tanya’s Blog type in the keywords into “Google Search” located in the sidebar.
• For more books with related content, type in the keywords into “Amazon Search” on the Amazon banner located in the side bar.

Dr. Jeffrey Speller

Dr. Tanya Korkosz

Psychopharmacology Associates of New England

www.psychopharmassociates.com