New York, Sept 17: Marriage has long been know to hold substantial health benefits for men, and now a new scientific study suggests the same is true for women ...sometimes. The study, conducted on middle-aged women over a 13-year period by researchers from the universities of Pittsburgh and San Diego state, found that married women were less likely to develop conditions that lead to heart disease than unmarried women.

The one caveat included in the survey, which is published in the September issue of health psychology, a journal of the American psychological association, is that the marriage in question has to be a "happy" marriage.

They also were less likely to experience depression, anxiety or stress than women who were single, divorced, widowed or unhappily married.
"The bottom line is it's better to be happy in your marriage. Nobody would be surprised by that," said Karen Matthews, a health psychologist at the university of Pittsburgh and one of the authors of the study.

"What's interesting is the impact on your health," Matthews said.
According to the study, the benefits included lower levels of biological and lifestyle cardiovascular risk factors, such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels and body mass index.

Among the explanations posited by the survey are that marriage provides social support and protection against the risks associated with social isolation.

Also, spousal influence and involvement may encourage health-promoting behaviours and deter unhealthy behavior.
Bureau Report