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Spouses' Cardiovascular Reactivity to Their Partners' Suffering

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  • Joan K. Monin
  • Richard Schulz
  • Lynn M. Martire
  • J. Richard Jennings
  • Jennifer Hagerty Lingler
  • Martin S. Greenberg

Abstract

A laboratory study of older adults with osteoarthritis and their spouses was conducted to examine the unique influence of exposure to suffering on caregivers' risk for impaired psychological and physical health. Spouses' blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were monitored during 2 tasks designed to capture their partners' suffering. First, spouses watched their partners (and a stranger) carry heavy logs across an 8-ft space for 3 min, a task that elicited pain expression. Second, spouses spoke about their partners' suffering (and also about a typical meal with their partners). Results showed that spouses' BP and HR increased when watching and talking about their partners' suffering, and exposure to a partner's suffering was more physiologically stressful than to a stranger's suffering. These findings suggest that heightened physiological stress caused by exposure to a loved one's suffering may be one pathway to caregivers' increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Copyright 2010, Oxford University Press.

Suggested Citation

  • Joan K. Monin & Richard Schulz & Lynn M. Martire & J. Richard Jennings & Jennifer Hagerty Lingler & Martin S. Greenberg, 2010. "Spouses' Cardiovascular Reactivity to Their Partners' Suffering," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 65(2), pages 195-201.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:geronb:v:65b:y:2010:i:2:p:195-201
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/geronb/gbp133
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    Cited by:

    1. Joan K. Monin & Becca R. Levy & Heidi S. Kane, 2017. "To Love is to Suffer: Older Adults’ Daily Emotional Contagion to Perceived Spousal Suffering," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 72(3), pages 383-387.

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