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Brigham Young University
This study will examine whether marriage quality influences cardiovascular functioning and salivary cortisol levels. Marriages characterized as supportive in quality (primarily by positive feelings) will be compared to those characterized as ambivalent in quality (both highly positive and highly negative feelings).
One hundred twenty healthy married couples will be recruited to participate in this study. They will first be screened over the phone to determine if they meet the inclusion criteria. Upon assessment of this information, they will then be screened at the lab on campus to determine their perceived quality of the marriage. They will also complete a packet of questionnaires that will assess standard variables that may influence health. They will receive instructions for ambulatory monitoring and have the monitor placed on them by a trained research assistant. They will wear the monitor for 24-hours and then return to the lab where the assistant will obtain the salivary cortisol samples.
The results of this study will offer a more complete understanding of the health-related consequences of social relationships-the degree of negativity and positivity within marital relationships, the toll they may have on health, and how to potentially reduce negativity within the relationship.