A spouse's personality could be dangerous

by Adams Briscoe (Subscribe to Adams Briscoe's posts)
Jan 17th 2007 11:00AM

Not too long ago we found out that happy couples already exhibit a kind of therapeutic measure on each other when researchers discovered that holding hands can reduce stress. Now it looks like they've discovered new information which reveals how a spouse's personality can affect how their partner recovers from major health challenges.

In the case of their study, researchers watched over a hundred coronary artery bypass patients and their significant others. Once again, it looks like marital satisfaction plays a larger role in the effectiveness of the study. Those who were married to to an anxious or even neurotic spouse reported symptoms of depression 18 months after their surgery.

Those couples in more optimistic circumstances reported fewer symptoms of depression and appeared to have less of a burden in recovery. It all points to a universal truth: even though they may be independent, personalities among couples can manifest themselves in physical and psychological ways.

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Sue Mandley 1-17-2007 @ 12:59PM

My spouse has serious depression due to severe arthritis and militarily induced ptsd. I can testify that this arena has certainly damaged my health, and excitement about life.

I have a difficult time keeping from depression myself and have now had pneumonia for nearly 10 weeks, three different antibiotics,coupled with other meds have not eliminated it yet.

Meg McRoberts 1-17-2007 @ 2:03PM

I'm a female who had a serious heart attack at age 48. I survived due to angioplasty and a stint, but would have died if I hadn't insisted on being admitted to the hospital. Both the FEMALE doctor and my husband thought I was a hypochondriac, and nothing was done until I had a 100% blockage of my main artery to the heart. My husband is a sweet man, but he is horrible at dealing with illness and I have felt very alone and abandoned since my near brush with death. I believe that much of my recent depression is due to his apathy. It would be wonderful to have a supportive and involved spouse during and following an illness or health challenge.