Researchers from Ohio State University Medical Center are examining how the quality of a marriage may affect an individual’s physical health.
The research was initiated by a previous study done in the early 1990s in which only newlywed couples and senior marital couples were studied.
In the current study, researchers are looking at married couples of all ages, said Dr. Timothy Loving, a post-doctoral fellow from the College of Medicine and Public Health.
The main goal for this research is to view a wound’s healing process over time and determine whether the quality of marriage would affect the healing, Loving said. The wound is supposed to symbolize a person’s physical health.
A template, which is attached to a vacuum pump, is placed on the forearm of each person, Loving said. Then a gentle suction occur, for an hour and a half in order to create blisters.
“We give them these standardized wounds so that there isn’t a wait for them to get one,” he said.
Loving said the process is not a painful one.
The pinching feeling only lasts while the suction is occurring, he said. Once the wounds are created, the blister will be removed and a template will be placed over it.
The other template will be filled with a serum, which shows the types of immune cells which are migrating to that site, Loving said.
“This shows how the healing process is being affected on a cellular level based upon things that are going on with them and how they’re talking,” he said.
The couples arrive early in the morning and are asked a variety of questions about their marriage, Loving said. Married couples are asked to stay there overnight in order to thoroughly study the reactions.
When married people are being studied, they are asked to face each other, and then the researchers provide topics for them to talk about.
For example, they might ask the couple to discuss how they feel about themselves with their spouse for the next 10 minutes, Loving said. These sessions are videotaped and monitored by the researchers.
They will not monitor the couple in their own home because they want to make this study equal with other couples that are being studied and keep them in the same environment, he said.
Once their overnight session is complete, there will be 13 follow-up sessions to attend.
Previous studies have shown the interactions with most couples tend to be positive ones, Loving said. Researchers have not noticed any differences among subjects who are of different ages and genders.
The new study has not yet shown results. However, in past studies it has been proven that stress-related issues delay the healing process in wounds, according to the study’s Web site.
Erin and Kevin Woods have been married for three years. Although they are not involved in the experiment, they do find the study important.
Erin said marriage could be a factor in good health. She recalled a friend of her mother who had a verbally abusive marriage and, as a result, had problems with her organs because of stress that was caused in her marriage.
But the couple agreed marriage was not the only factor which affected a person’s physical health.
“I can sometimes see how our marriage may affect our health,” Kevin said. “However, I think that the stuff that happens outside your marriage, like work, would have a lot more to do with your health and stress level and they should do a study on that.”
Erin agreed with Kevin.
“Yes, I feel that my work does give me a lot of stress and sometimes makes me feel ill,” she said. “Then again, I have a healthy marriage where we don’t argue that much.”
