Studies had cited before how marriage has a positive effect on the health of husbands and wives. However, marriage is not always on cloud 9. Some couples reach that "hot and cold" point. Depending on the situation and the spouse's mood, that could mean bad or good.
Couples who are stuck in such kind of relationship, the ambivalent one, meaning there's uncertainty when it comes to their partner's choices or reaction, have most likely experienced health problems.
Brigham Young University issued results on a study about the effects of marriage on the health of married couples. Most of studies from the past support the notion that married people are healthier than those who aren't. However with the recent study, experts are seeking to comprehend the effects of the quality of marriage in one's health. Wendy C. Birmingham, who led the study, said, "Unfortunately, a lot of the research on the benefits of marriage measures relationship quality on this unidimensional scale. They look at whether you're happy or you're not happy, or you feel supported or you're not supported. But not all relationships are one-dimensional."
The study aims to explain the physiological reasons behind the long-term effects of the quality of marriage on the couple's health. It was tested on 94 heterosexual couples in Salt Lake City. Each partner was asked about the measure of positive and negative synergy in their marriage.
The length of each couple's marriage range from one to forty-one years. Both were working, either part-time or full-time and are living independently from their children. Researchers learned from the couples' answers that only 23 percent of them are involved in supportive marriages with low levels of negativity while 77 percent of couples provided mixed answers, proposing they are in an ambivalent relationship in terms of feelings toward each other. Their blood pressures were then tested and were asked to wear a blood pressure monitor from morning until evening for one day.
The result shows the effect of ambivalent relationship on one's physical health. The blood pressure readings display that couples who are in an ambivalent relationships repeatedly showed higher systolic blood pressure readings during the day. The outcome indicates that couples in an ambivalent relationship may have poorer cardiovascular health compared to those who are in a healthy and supportive relationships which contradicts one of the most proven benefits of marriage - better cardiovascular health.
James A. Coan, professor from the University of Virginia recommended that the results of the study should not alarm couples who might be in an ambivalent relationship rather should inspire them to communicate with each other and seek help when needed to fix their relationship and solve issues.
