HHS HealthBeat (May 10, 2006)

Sick of your spouse

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

You make me sick.

A nasty comment? No, the title of a research paper – on the health of couples in unhappy marriages.

Debra Umberson of the University of Texas at Austin looked at the health of a marriage and the physical health of the people in it. Her study in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

"Those of us who live with a lot of marital strain do not fare as well as other people do in terms of our health. The higher your marital strain, the more rapidly your health tends to decline over time." (11 seconds)

Umberson also says people in a happy marriage are somewhat healthier – so, if you're in an unhappy marriage, it could be wise to get help to turn it around.

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: August, 15 2006