Marital arguments can leave a husband and wife feeling emotionally wounded, but that's not all. Scientists have discovered that the stress of a typical 30-minute tiff can prevent physical wounds from healing by at least one day.

Moreover, couples whose relationships are generally hostile may suffer longer delays in the healing process -- even twice as long. This finding, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, could have major financial implications for medical centers and healthcare insurers.

The latest research is part of a thirty-year series of experiments underway at the Ohio State University’s Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research. The work is aimed at identifying and then explaining the ways psychological stress can affect human immunity.

Psychological Preparation

Jan Kiecolt-Glaser, a professor of psychiatry and psychology, and partner Ronald Glaser, a professor of molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics, both at Ohio State, say the findings provide important recommendations for patients facing surgery.

"This shows specifically why it is so important that people be psychologically prepared for their surgeries," Kiecolt-Glaser explains.

"We have enough data now from all of our past studies," adds Glaser, "to basically suggest that hospitals need to modify existing practices in ways that will reduce stress prior to surgery."

Such stress reduction could lead to shorter hospital stays -- with corresponding lower medical bills -- and a reduced risk of infections among patients, the researchers agree.

Blistering Trial

A group of 42 married couples who had been together an average of 12 years or more participated in the study. Each couple was admitted into the university's General Clinical Research Center for two 24-hour-long visits. The visits were separated by a two-month interval.

During each visit, both the husband and wife were fitted with a small suction device which created eight tiny uniform blisters on their arms. The skin was removed from each blister and another device placed directly over each small wound, forming a protective bubble, from which researchers could extract fluids that normally fill such blisters.

The husbands and wives also completed questionnaires intended to gauge their level of stress at the beginning of the experiment. Lastly, each person was fitted with a catheter through which blood could be drawn for later analysis.

High Levels of Hostility

During the first visit, each spouse was asked to talk for several minutes about some characteristic or behavior that he or she would like to change. This was a supportive, positive discussion, Kiecolt-Glaser notes.

"But during the second visit, we asked them to talk about an area of disagreement," she says, "something that inherently had an emotional element."

Both discussions were videotaped, and those tapes were used to gauge the level of hostility present between the couples. Fluid accumulating at the individual wound sites and peripheral blood samples were also taken from each participant.

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