Marital stress does have an impact on your heart health

If the end of a relationship can sometimes lead to a broken heart (figuratively and sometimes literally with Tako-Tsubo), the conflicts that exist in a couple could well be a new factor in poor heart health. Yale researchers found that marital stress in young adults (ages 18 to 55) was linked to poorer recovery after a heart attack, compared to less stressed couples. Couples suffering from so-called “severe” marital stress also had poorer physical and mental health than those suffering from mild or no marital stress one year after a heart attack. But how does the couple’s health affect heart health?

Marital stress evaluated in more than 1500 patients

To find out, US researchers compared recovery one year after a heart attack with self-reported marital stress. 1,593 adults treated for a heart attack in 103 American hospitals and married or in couple were associated with this research. The participants were on average 47 years old, white, black and Hispanic, more than two-thirds of whom were women. To measure marital stress, participants completed a 17-point questionnaire one month after a heart attack called the “Stockholm Marital Stress Scale” (developed and tested in female heart patients which assesses marital stressors). The researchers categorized the participants based on their responses to the questionnaire into three groups: absent/mild marital stress, moderate marital stress, or severe marital stress. Participants were then followed for up to one year. The team used a point scale to assess how the participant’s physical health may have limited activities of daily living, and body pain, but also assessed participants’ mental well-being and social interaction. Hospital data was used to assess study participant eligibility and readmission data.

50% increased chance of being hospitalized again

The analysis of the results revealed several impacts:

• Participants reporting severe stress levels scored more than 1.6 points lower in physical health and 2.6 points lower in mental health on a 12-point scale;
• Participants reporting severe stress levels reported almost 5 points lower overall quality of life and 8 points lower quality of life when measured by a scale specifically designed for cardiac patients;
• Participants reporting severe marital stress were 67% more likely to report chest pain than those with mild or no marital stress;
• The likelihood of being readmitted to hospital for any cause increased by almost 50% among those who reported severe marital stress.

The scientists, who will share their preliminary study during the 2022 scientific sessions of the American Heart Association this early November, thus advocate the need to take charge of the context of a patient, in the aggravating factors.

The context of a patient, a data to be taken into account

Consulted on this pathology, the doctor specializing in cardiology and cardiovascular disease Jean-Pierre Houppe, clarifies things:

However, the study points to three interesting facts:

• Marital stress is a risk factor for occurrence and recurrence of cardiovascular events.
• A heart attack requires a complex adaptation process, as the person finds himself faced with death, fragility, etc. In case of severe conflict in the couple, this adaptation will be weakened.
• Women are more sensitive to this conjugal stress and to recidivism. What the specialist explains by the fact that many women, unlike men, will think more about the family environment, the house, etc., before thinking about their health.

With the conviction that it is better to heal a heart ready to break, than a heart too damaged to last.