Here's a little advice
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From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
Learning how to help your spouse through life's troubles is one of the big jobs of a marriage. And a study indicates there are effective and not-particularly-effective ways to do it.
At the University of Iowa, Erika Lawrence looked at survey data on 103 husbands and wives over their first five years of marriage. She says the worst thing was too much unwanted advice. The best was supporting a spouse's self-esteem:
[Erika Lawrence speaks] "It's telling the person that you have confidence in their ability to deal with whatever the situation or problem is."
Lawrence also suggests that, if you need support, ask - for the kind you want.
The study in the Journal of Family Psychology was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.
Learn more at hhs.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.