Couple Functioning and Cardiovascular Health: Current Approaches and Findings
Open Access
- Author:
- Cass, Megan Linda
- Area of Honors:
- Biobehavioral Health
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Lynn Margaret Martire, Thesis Supervisor
David John Vandenbergh, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- Couple
Functioning
Cardiovascular
Health - Abstract:
- This analytic review of 46 empirical articles considers the body of research surrounding couple functioning and its effect on cardiovascular measures and cardiovascular health outcomes. Aspects of couple functioning are defined under relationship quality and include support behaviors, behaviors during conflict, perceptions of behavior, and other features specific to couple interaction. Measures of cardiovascular functioning include blood pressure, heart rate, cardiovascular reactivity, and instances of cardiovascular disease. Of particular consideration, methodological approaches, theoretical constructs, and contextual factors including gender, relationship duration, and health status were reviewed. The majority of articles were found to utilize experimental laboratory designs with healthy couples of a wide age range. To measure couple functioning, the majority of studies utilized both scales of quality/interaction and direct behavior observation in the lab. To measure cardiovascular functioning, the majority of studies utilized either blood pressure or cardiovascular reactivity measurements. Gender trends across studies include increased female reactivity to conflict or low relationship quality, decreased female reactivity to support behaviors or high relationship quality, and increased male reactivity when attempting to exert control in interaction. Quality trends across studies include greater overall significance of low quality in relation to cardiovascular functioning and decreased reactivity in couples reporting high relationship quality. Relationship duration trends and health status trends were ultimately mixed. Further research utilizing large, diverse samples, multi-dimensional ratings of relationship quality, and both short term and long term cardiovascular measures across multiple settings is necessary to obtain greater support for the conclusions offered in this body of research.