Abstract
Past research suggests that relationship quality is low in “precarious couples,” those in which the woman is both critical and more verbally disinhibited than her male partner. Such diminished relationship quality may compromise the capacity of precarious couples to cope with stressors. To test this hypothesis, we exposed 67 married women to an experimentally induced stressor, reunited them with their husbands, and examined the subsequent physiological reactions of both partners. Interacting with one's spouse after the stress-induction procedure resulted in relatively low heart rates among most people, but men in precarious couples displayed elevated levels of arousal. Apparently, for men in precarious couples, interacting with a recently stressed partner is itself stressful, which could ultimately compromise physical health.
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