While social relationships are the central source of emotional support for most people, social relationships can be extremely stressful (Walen and Lachman 2000). For example, marriage is the most salient source of both support and stress for many individuals (Walen and Lachman 2000), and poor marital quality has been associated with compromised immune and endocrine function and depression (Kiecolt-Glaser and Newton 2001). Sociological research shows that marital strain erodes physical health, and that the negative effect of marital strain on health becomes greater with advancing age (Umberson et al. 2006).
