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Published on: March 1, 2011
Marital adjustment and interleukin-6 (IL-6)
Mark A Whisman1, David A Sbarra
1Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, CO 80309-0345, USA. mark.whisman@colorado.edu
Summary
Marital adjustment impacts inflammation differently in men and women. Younger women with low partner support show higher interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels, indicating increased inflammation.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Biomedical Science
Background:
- Marital functioning is linked to various health outcomes.
- Inflammation is a key biological process implicated in numerous diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between marital adjustment and inflammation (interleukin-6).
- To investigate if age moderates this association in men and women.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 415 married adults (ages 35-84) from the MIDUS II study.
- Assessed positive (partner support) and negative (partner strain) marital adjustment.
- Measured interleukin-6 (IL-6) as a marker of inflammation.
Main Results:
- No association between marital adjustment and IL-6 was found in men.
- Age moderated the marital adjustment-IL-6 link in women.
- Younger women showed associations between partner support/strain and IL-6.
- Partner support uniquely predicted IL-6 in younger women, even after controlling for covariates.
Conclusions:
- Interleukin-6 (IL-6) may serve as a biomarker for health-related biological responses in relationships.
- Younger women may experience heightened inflammation in response to low partner support.
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