Gunlicks-Stoessel Meredith L, Powers Sally I
Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons.
J Soc Clin Psychol. 2009 May;28(5):630-649. doi: 10.1521/jscp.2009.28.5.630.
Stress in close relationships can have significant negative consequences for mental health, physical health, and long-term relationship functioning. Dysregulated physiological responses to stress are potential pathways through which relationship stress may lead to these kinds of outcomes, and the ways in which individuals attempt to cope with relationship stress are likely to impact their physiological responses. However, our understanding of the specific coping strategies that predict physiological reactivity and recovery in these contexts is rather limited. This study explored relations between young adult college students' self-reported methods of coping with stress in their romantic relationships and their physiological reactivity to and recovery from negotiating conflict with their romantic partners. Partners' coping styles were also examined as predictors of physiological stress responses. One hundred and ninety opposite-sex couples (N = 380; modal length of relationship = 1-2 years) participated in an experimental conflict discussion task. Physiological stress reactivity to the task was assessed using salivary cortisol, a primary hormonal product of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis. Growth modeling of the cortisol levels before, during, and after the conflict task indicated that men who typically coped with relationship stress by seeking social support showed greater physiological reactivity to the conflict task. Partners' need for social support predicted stronger stress responses for both men and women, as well. While seeking social support is generally thought to be an adaptive coping strategy for couples, the results suggest that within the context of conflict negotiation in which receiving and providing support may be more difficult, seeking support from a partner is associated with greater phyisological stress.
亲密关系中的压力会对心理健康、身体健康和长期关系功能产生重大负面影响。对压力的生理反应失调是关系压力可能导致此类结果的潜在途径，而个体应对关系压力的方式可能会影响他们的生理反应。然而，我们对在这些情况下预测生理反应性和恢复的具体应对策略的理解相当有限。本研究探讨了年轻成年大学生自我报告的应对浪漫关系中压力的方法与他们在与浪漫伴侣协商冲突时的生理反应性及恢复之间的关系。伴侣的应对方式也作为生理应激反应的预测因素进行了研究。190对异性恋情侣（N = 380；关系的平均时长 = 1 - 2年）参与了一项实验性冲突讨论任务。使用唾液皮质醇评估对该任务的生理应激反应性，唾液皮质醇是下丘脑 - 垂体 - 肾上腺皮质（HPA）轴的主要激素产物。对冲突任务之前、期间和之后的皮质醇水平进行的增长模型分析表明，通常通过寻求社会支持来应对关系压力的男性对冲突任务表现出更大的生理反应性。伴侣对社会支持的需求也预测了男性和女性更强的应激反应。虽然寻求社会支持通常被认为是情侣的一种适应性应对策略，但结果表明，在接受和提供支持可能更困难的冲突协商背景下，向伴侣寻求支持与更大的生理压力相关。
