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Senior Citizen Health & Medicine
Unhappy Relationship May Break Your Heart For Real
Study finds negative close relationships
increase heart disease risk
 Oct. 8, 2007 It has long been established that
having a good personal relationship with close relations, a spouse in
particular, usually means you will lead a happier, healthier life with a
reduced chance of heart disease. In a new study, however, the
researchers took the negative approach if you have a bad relationship
will it increase your risk of a heart attack.
It appears that is the case. Individuals whose
close relationships have negative aspects, such as conflict and adverse
exchanges, appear to have a greater risk of heart disease than those
with more positive close relationships, according to a report in the
Oct. 8 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives
journals.
"An extensive body of research shows that social
relations are associated with better health and reduced risks of
cardiovascular disease," the authors note.
"However, contradictory findings on the health
benefits of structural support and the limited protective effect of
marital status against cardiovascular disease among women have
stimulated further scientific inquiry into the quality of social
relationships."
This study looked at 9,011 British civil servants
(6114 men and 2897 women) who completed a questionnaire about negative
aspects of their close relationships either between 1989 and 1990 or
between 1985 and 1988. It was conducted by Roberto De Vogli, Ph.D.,
M.P.H., and colleagues at University College London.
Although the questionnaire assessed up to four
close relationships, the researchers focused specifically on the primary
close relationship.
In addition, participants answered questions about
how much emotional and practical support they received from that person
on a regular basis.
They were then followed for an average of 12.2
years to see if they experienced fatal or non-fatal coronary events,
including heart attacks or chest pain.
Of the 8,499 individuals who did not have coronary
heart disease at the beginning of the study and who provided sufficient
information for the analysis, 589 reported a coronary heart disease
event.
After adjusting for other factors that influence
heart disease risk - such as socio-demographic characteristics and
health habits - those who experienced a high level of negativity in
their close relationships were 1.34 times more likely to experience a
coronary heart disease event than those with a low level of negative
close relationships.
The association was weakened somewhat but still
significant after the researchers adjusted for negative personality
traits and depression.
This suggests that emotions may partially mediate
the association between negative relationships and heart disease.
"When one considers emotional factors and their
biological translation into the body, research shows that negative
marital interactions are associated with depression, often in
combination with reduced self-esteem and/or higher levels of anger," the
authors write.
"These emotional reactions have been found to
influence coronary heart disease through the cumulative wear and tear
on organs and tissues caused by the alterations of autonomic
[involuntary] functions, neuroendocrine changes, disturbances in
coagulation [blood clotting] and inflammatory and immune responses."
Although women and those in lower employment grades
were more likely to experience negative relationships, the associations
with heart disease did not change based on sex or social position.
In addition, heart disease risk was not associated
with the level of emotional or practical support received.
"It is possible that negative aspects of close
relationships are more important for the health of individuals because
of the power of negative close relationships to activate stronger
emotions (worrying and anxiety) and the consequent physiological
effects," the authors write.
"In contrast, other more positive forms of support
may not affect the physiology of individuals in a measurable or
clinically relevant way."
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