Married with children: the influence of parental status and gender on ambulatory blood pressure.
BACKGROUND
Although there is substantial evidence that social relationships and marriage may influence both psychological and physical health, little is known about the influence of children.


OBJECTIVE
This study examined the competing predictions regarding the directional influence of parental status and its interaction with gender-given that mothers are typically disproportionately more responsible for everyday care of children-on cardiovascular functioning.


METHODS
We examined ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) over 24 hours among 198 married males and females.


RESULTS
Couples without children had significantly higher ambulatory SBP and DBP than those with children. Moreover, we found a significant interaction between parental status and gender that suggested women with children showed the lowest ABP, whereas women without children displayed the highest ABP.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that parenthood, and especially motherhood, may be cardioprotective.
Holt-Lunstad
Julianne
J
Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University, 1024 Spencer W. Kimball Tower, Provo, UT 84020, USA. julianne.holt-lunstad@byu.edu
Birmingham
Wendy
W
Howard
Adam M
AM
Thoman
Dustin
D
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005220:Fathers; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008393:Marriage; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires