There have been several recent studies about the health benefits marriage can have for a person. Another recent study, however, has found that certain types of marriages can actually be detrimental to a person's health. Study Says Stressful Marriages Can Lead To Early Death In Men, by Taryn Hillin, May 14, 2014, huffingtonpost.com. Specifically, the study, part of the Danish Longitudinal Study on Work, Unemployment and Health, found that a stressful marriage increases the risk of premature death in men.
The study followed nearly 10,000 participants, aged 36 to 52, for 11 years, tracking their health and surveying them about conflict and stressful situations in their lives. At the end of the 11 years, a large portion of the participants had died. By correlating the data collected, the researchers found that "men's risk of death increased when in stressful marriages." Specifically, the men "who 'always' or 'often' experienced worries and demands from a partner had a higher mortality risk than those who 'seldom' had this experience." Those men who experienced similar worries and demands from other people (friends, family, etc.) did not have a higher mortality rate, indicating that it as the marriage and stress combined that produced the result.
The researchers suggested "skills in conflict management could help curb premature deaths associated with relationship stressors." Thus, if you are in a high stress marriage, a conflict or stress management class will likely be of great benefit to both you and your spouse. It may not rid your relationship of stress entirely, but it can help you learn how to deal with it in a healthy way.