COMM227 Chapter Notes - Chapter 15: Type A And Type B Personality Theory, Blood Pressure, Cardiovascular Disease
1 Jun 2018
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CH 15, pp 320-327: Family Interaction and Physical Health
Marital Interaction and Physical Health
● Three relationship variables relate to illness, disease, and mortality
○ Relationship status
○ Relationship quality
○ Relationship behaviors/interactions
● Marriage and health mutually influence each other
● Divorced and separated people were the least healthy, with widowed, single, and
married persons respectively being more healthy (Lois Verbrugge, 1979)
● Divorced persons have the highest rates of chronic conditions, suffer the most partial
work disability, visit physicians more times per year, have the highest hospitalization
rates, and have the longest hospital stays
● Separated and divorced persons also have poorer immune functioning and those who
have most recently experienced separation have the worst immune functioning
● Married persons have a lower risk of mortality
● Unmarried men have a 250% greater risk for mortality than married men, unmarried
women have a 50% greater risk for mortality than their married counterparts
● Two hypotheses for the differences in health status of married vs nonmarried persons
○ Selection hypothesis
■ Suggests that healthier people are more likely to marry and stay married
■ People who marry are ‘selected’ for good health
○ Protection hypothesis
■ People receive protections that buffer ill health
■ The protections include: married persons tend to live a less risky lifestyle
compared to single persons AND married persons benefit from
companionship, social support, and instrumental services from their
spouses
● Relationship status does not predict physical health as well as overall relationship quality
and specific relationship behaviors/interactions
○ Quality of marriage seemed to have a more powerful effect on health and
mortality
○ Self silencing
Marriage and Lifestyle
● Social control theory proposes that social ties regulate behavior such that socially
integrated persons engage in fewer risky or deviant behaviors compared to socially
isolated persons
○ Become accountable
● People with social ties tend to have more regular eating and sleeping habits and they
smoke and drink less
● The quality of spouses’ interaction appears to influence the positive or negative direction
of these habits
Physiological Responses to Marital Interaction
Document Summary
Ch 15, pp 320-327: family interaction and physical health. Three relationship variables relate to illness, disease, and mortality. Marriage and health mutually influence each other. Divorced and separated people were the least healthy, with widowed, single, and married persons respectively being more healthy (lois verbrugge, 1979) Divorced persons have the highest rates of chronic conditions, suffer the most partial work disability, visit physicians more times per year, have the highest hospitalization rates, and have the longest hospital stays. Separated and divorced persons also have poorer immune functioning and those who have most recently experienced separation have the worst immune functioning. Married persons have a lower risk of mortality. Unmarried men have a 250% greater risk for mortality than married men, unmarried women have a 50% greater risk for mortality than their married counterparts. Two hypotheses for the differences in health status of married vs nonmarried persons. Suggests that healthier people are more likely to marry and stay married.
