Is it me or you? Marital conflict behavior and blood pressure reactivity.

Abstract

Cardiovascular reactivity (CVR), such as increases in blood pressure, during stressful marital interactions have been identified as a possible mechanism linking marital discord with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Both expressions of and exposure to negative behavior during marital conflict may influence CVR, but analytic approaches to date have not permitted firm conclusions as to whether CVR during conflict reflects an individual's own actions, actions of the spouse, or both. Additionally, evidence suggests health-relevant marital interaction varies along the affiliation dimension (i.e., warmth vs. hostility) and control dimension (i.e., dominance vs. submissiveness) of social behavior, but there is much less research on the latter. To address these issues, the present study used the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) to examine associations of behavioral measures of affiliation and control with concurrent changes in blood pressure (i.e., CVR) during a marital conflict discussion in 146 middle-aged couples. Factor analyses of observer-coded behaviors during conflict discussions revealed a single factor for husbands and for wives, characterized by high hostility and dominance, and low warmth. The validity of these behavioral factors was supported by their predicted associations with spouse ratings of behavior during the conflict discussions, concurrent increases in anger, and reports of overall marital quality. Although expression of and exposure to negative conflict behaviors were correlated, only expression independently predicted increases in blood pressure. Exposure to negative partner behavior might alter other elements of physiological burden contributing to CVD risk, but the individual's own behavioral expressions are more closely associated with concurrent blood pressure reactivity.

PTSD in veterans, couple behavior, and cardiovascular response during marital conflict.

“…These effects underscore the importance of positive (e.g., warmth, affection) and negative (e.g., criticism, blame) aspects of couple interaction and support conceptual models of pathways through which emotional adjustment and couple processes influence health-relevant physiological activity (e.g., Pietromonaco & Collins, 2017; Robles et al, 2014; Smith & Baucom, 2017). The current findings are also consistent with other recent research in which the individual’s own behavior during marital conflict predicted concurrent CVR, but the partner’s behavior did not (Smith, Baron, Deits-Lebehn, Uchino, & Berg, 2019). Thus, expression of maladaptive dyadic behavior may be a more important influence on CVR during stressful marital interactions than exposure to a partner’s conflict behavior.…”

The Good, the Bad, and the Variable: Examining Stress and Blood Pressure Responses to Close Relationships

“…Theorists suggest that positive and negative aspects of relationships engender psychological and physiological changes, which can accumulate into long-term physical health consequences (e.g., Pietromonaco & Collins, 2017; Slatcher & Selcuk, 2017; Smith & Weihs, 2019). Some prior research has indeed documented that key facets of relationships contribute to proximal psychological and biological processes (e.g., stress, emotion regulation, and immunologic and cardiovascular functioning), thereby contributing more broadly to health, with much of this work focusing on either (a) negative aspects of relationships, like conflict (e.g., Powers et al, 2006; Smith et al, 2020), or (b) social support (Bowen et al, 2014; Uchino, 2004; Uchino et al, 2018).…”

Intimate Relationships and Coronary Heart Disease: Implications for Risk, Prevention, and Patient Management

“…In studies manipulating the tone of marital interactions, conflict evokes substantial increases in heart rate, blood pressure, and related neuroendocrine responses [ 5 , 6 , 50 , 51 ]. Furthermore, the magnitude of these changes is associated with the degree of hostile and controlling behavior in those interactions and with prior levels of marital strain [ 6 , 52 , 53 ]. Hence, strained intimate relationships may contribute to pathophysiologic stress responses in two ways: first, by undermining the protective support and connection otherwise available from an intimate partner, and second by increasing the frequency, severity, and duration of episodes of conflict which evoke these pathophysiological responses.…”