A recent British study revealed that living with partners who do not have the ability to listen to problems can negatively affect people's long-term health. The accumulation of stress can be enough to make people more likely, by 42%, to die prematurely.
A team of psychologists at the University of Edinburgh evaluated a group of about 1,200 participants aged between 25 and 74, who had husbands or lived with housing partners.
"The results suggest that if individuals have partners to help with, it helps them cope with everyday stress, and this has side effects with subsequent health outcomes," said Dr. Sarah Stanton, lead author of the study.
Participants were assessed over a 20-year period. The study began between 1995 and 1996 as part of the National Mid-Life Survey in the United States (MIDUS).
Participants were asked to assess how much they believed that their partners understood and cared for them, and appreciated them. After 10 years, in 2006, participants answered the same questions.
The researchers found that individuals who did not respond well to daily stress felt that their partners had become less interested in them over the past 10 years.
They found that participants who reported that their partners were less responsive were 42% more likely to die during 20 years of study.