Marital strife 'linked to rise in blood pressure'

A HAPPY marriage is good for blood pressure, but a stressful one can be worse than being single, according to new research.

In the study by Julianne Holt-Lunstad, an assistant psychology professor at Brigham Young University, volunteers wore devices to record their blood pressure over a 24-hour period.

It found the greater the spouses' marital satisfaction, the lower their average blood pressure. But spouses with low marital satisfaction had higher average blood pressure than single people. During the day, their average was about five points higher, entering a range deemed a warning sign.

Karen Matthews, a professor of psychiatry, psychology and epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh, said the results were "worth some attention" as few studies of high blood pressure looked at marital quality rather than just marital status.

Dr Brian Baker, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto, added: "It makes sense that marital quality is more important than just being married when it comes to affecting blood pressure."

The study was reported online by the Annals of Behavioural Medicine.