Marital quality and longevity: Biobehavioral pathways

摘要 婚姻是大多数成年人的核心关系，发病率和死亡率确实较低 对已婚的人来说比对未婚的人更重要。然而，配偶的存在并不一定是保护性的： 问题婚姻同时提供了一个主要的压力来源，同时限制了伴侣的能力， 在其他关系上的支持。以消极或惩罚性的高比率为标志的婚姻分歧 行为（例如，敌意，讽刺，退缩），婚姻痛苦的标志，增加促炎性 细胞因子的产生;婚姻不和的显着后果包括风险放大和更差的结果， 炎症相关疾病。与明显促进婚姻的消极或惩罚性行为相反， 痛苦，越来越多的文献表明，积极的婚姻互动是令人满意的关系的核心， 并且可能有益于健康。资本化行为（披露以下信息后的鼓励性、支持性反应） 积极事件）是最具影响力的积极婚姻行为之一。使用三种最先进的 与炎症相关的分子衰老生物标志物（端粒长度、p16 INK 4a表达和表观遗传学） 年龄，个人表观遗传时钟的状态），我们解决新的问题：不幸福的婚姻 加速分子老化幸福的婚姻能减缓分子衰老，延长寿命和健康吗 跨度（一个人健康的时间长度，而不仅仅是活着）？借鉴行为学、免疫学和 分子衰老研究，这项研究将评估关键婚姻之间的并发和前瞻性关系， 行为和分子衰老生物标志物。因此，在基线访视时，将要求夫妇解决 他们也会讨论积极的个人事件;这些讨论将是行为上的。 密码血液样本将提供除夫妇炎症外的分子衰老生物标志物的数据。 对互动的反应。两年后，这对夫妇的第二次访问将评估 婚姻质量、炎症和三种分子衰老生物标志物。 我们有三个具体的目标：目标1：描述并发和预期的关系， 夫妇的互动行为和情绪，炎症和衰老生物标志物。目标2：评估 炎症和分子衰老生物标志物之间的关系。目标3：探索性目标 讨论了性别对情绪、炎症、炎症反应的相对贡献， 衰老生物标志物，以及演员-合作伙伴对这些结果的影响。 该提案的新颖方法提供了一种方法来测试创新和原始的假设， 婚姻行为影响寿命和健康的方式。行为，炎症， 和分子老化代表了一个重要的新领域， 关系可以加速或减缓衰老。该项目将有助于阐明 婚姻影响我们的健康和寿命--无论好坏。

Abstract Marriage is the central relationship for the majority of adults, and morbidity and mortality are reliably lower for the married than the unmarried. However, the simple presence of a spouse is not necessarily protective: a troubled marriage simultaneously provides a prime source of stress while limiting a partner's ability to seek support in other relationships. Marital disagreements that are marked by high rates of negative or punishing behaviors (e.g., hostility, sarcasm, withdrawal), hallmarks of marital distress, increase proinflammatory cytokine production; marital discord's notable consequences include amplified risk and poorer outcomes for inflammation-related disorders. In contrast to the negative or punishing behaviors that clearly promote marital distress, a growing literature suggests that positive marital interactions are central to satisfying relationships, and may benefit health. Capitalization behaviors (encouraging, supportive responses that follow disclosure of positive events) are among the most influential positive marital behaviors. Using three state-of-the-art molecular aging biomarkers associated with inflammation (telomere length, p16INK4a expression, and epigenetic age, the status of an individual's epigenetic clock), we address novel questions: Do unhappy marriages accelerate molecular aging? Can happy marriages slow molecular aging and extend both lifespan and health span (the length of time that a person is healthy—not just alive)? Drawing on behavioral, immunological, and molecular aging research, this study will assess concurrent and prospective relationships between key marital behaviors and molecular aging biomarkers. Accordingly, at the baseline visit, couples will be asked to resolve a disagreement, and they will also discuss positive personal events; these discussions will be behaviorally coded. Blood samples will provide data on molecular aging biomarkers in addition to couples' inflammatory responsiveness to the interactions. The couples' second visit, two years after the first, will assess changes in marital quality, inflammation, and the three molecular aging biomarkers. We have three specific aims: Aim 1: To characterize the concurrent and prospective relationships between couples' interactive behaviors and mood, inflammation, and aging biomarkers. Aim 2: To assess the relationships among inflammation and the molecular aging biomarkers. Aim 3: This exploratory aim addresses the relative contributions of gender to mood, inflammation, inflammatory responsiveness, and the aging biomarkers, as well as actor-partner effects on these outcomes. This proposal's novel methodology provides a way to test innovative and original hypotheses about the ways that marital behavior impacts lifespan and health span. The interactions among behavior, inflammation, and molecular aging represent an important new frontier for understanding how one's closest personal relationship can accelerate or slow aging. This project will help illuminate the mechanisms through which marriage influences our health and longevity -- for good or ill.