This study, originally published in General Psychiatry, shows how hostile marital interactions increase health risks of patients undergoing treatment for life-threatening diseases and slows physical wound healing as compared to couples in supportive environments. These results affected female participants in particular. Subjects in the study were recruited through various ads and then screened by the Ohio State University Biomedical Research Review Committee to ensure an ideal physical condition for the study. Each couple was admitted twice into the hospital for 24 hour periods. Blisters were artificially raised on the participants and then researchers led discussions, periodically measuring the rate of healing.

 

Read the full article here: Hostile Marital Interactions, Proinflammatory Cytokine Production, and Wound Healing