# Understanding Relationship Ambivalence and its Links to Cardiovascular Health

> **NIH NIH R01** · UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH · 2020 · $381,250

## Abstract

Of the psychosocial risk factors, positive and negative aspects of relationships are two of the most
reliable predictors of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, most prior work has examined positive
and negative aspects of relationships in isolation. Such a practice ignores the possibility that these
dimensions can co-occur (i.e., ambivalence) in specific ties. Our prior work has shown that ambivalent ties
are common (close to 50% of important network ties) and stable over time. More important is the fact that
perceptions of relationship ambivalence are related to increased cardiovascular risk, including greater
ambulatory blood pressure, cardiovascular reactivity, inflammation, and coronary artery calcification. This
proposal will thus pursue three major aims to tackle the issue of why such links occur based on the social
ambivalence and disease (SAD) model. Aim 1 will test the antecedent factors that influence the development
of ambivalent ties and link them to health (i.e., harsh early family environment, concurrent positive and
negative relationship interactions). Aim 2 will examine the factors that influence the maintenance of
ambivalent ties (i.e., commitment, indirect coping strategies, implicit relationship representations) and if they
moderate links to health. Finally, aim 3 will seek to directly model the mechanisms linking these ambivalence
factors to cardiovascular risk as specified by the SAD model.
 In order to pursue these major aims, 3 integrative studies will be conducted. These studies utilize
different protocols and health-relevant cardiovascular assessments which capitalize on our prior work. Study
1 will test if the early family environment is linked to relationship ambivalence and cardiovascular health.
Study 2 will track the development of ambivalence in early dating relationships and corresponding links to
cardiovascular function. Study 3 will examine if relationship commitment, indirect coping strategies, and
implicit relationship representations moderate the links between ambivalent ties and health in longer-term
married couples. Finally, each of these studies will directly model relevant mechanisms based on a novel
theoretical framework (i.e., SAD model). Importantly, these studies represent critical theoretical steps in
linking relationships to health and our prior studies provide evidence for the feasibility and potential of the
proposed work.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9921469
- **Project number:** 5R01HL137606-03
- **Recipient organization:** UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
- **Principal Investigator:** Bert N. Uchino
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $381,250
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-05-01 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9921469

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9921469, Understanding Relationship Ambivalence and its Links to Cardiovascular Health (5R01HL137606-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9921469. Licensed CC0.

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