A growing body of research has found people who face discrimination face a variety of long-term negative health impacts.
A new study has found the impacts extend to the partners of people who feel discriminated against.
Bill Chopick is the lead author on the study. He says it found that negative impacts of discrimination could spill over into romantic relationships.
“We found that these harmful effects are transmitted through the couple dynamic. People feel that their relationship is more strenuous when they have these discrimination experiences happening. That’s one of the reasons why we think that these negative experiences are impacting health, it’s making their relationships a lot worse.”
Chopick said the study found partners of people who faced discrimination saw a 20 percent increase in a number of health conditions, including depression, diabetes, heart attack, stroke, and cancer.
“We looked at a variety of different types of discrimination. Racial, gender discrimination, age discrimination. The interesting thing that we found is that it didn’t really matter where the discrimination was coming from or what you attributed it to, being treated unfairly led to negative outcomes regardless of is it because your a woman, is it because you’re an older adult, is it because you’re a person of color.”
Chopick said the study is the first look at how discrimination can impact close personal relationships.
“We’re embedded in social networks and our emotions have implications for our partners and our friends and our families. This study was the first exploration of the ways in which discrimination is affecting our closes loved ones.”
Chopick said the study surveyed couples across the country between ages 50 and 94.