Perhaps broken backs can mend hearts.

That's the implication of new research by Jeremy Yorgason, a Brigham Young University professor of family life. Yorgason, with help from two Penn State researchers, collected data from more than 1,200 married people nationwide between 1988 and 2000 to examine whether changes in health affected their marital happiness. What they found surprised them all: Couples in which one member became disabled reported greater happiness afterward.

"We were expecting that when one spouse had a decline in health that their marital quality would also go down. We did find some evidence for that," he said. "What we were surprised by was in those same analyses, when someone reported to have the onset of a disability, their own marital quality improved."

The study is published in November's Research on Aging medical journal. Yorgason said the reason why happiness goes up was outside the scope of his research, but men under 55 reported an increase in marital interaction when they or their spouse suffered a disability. He suspects the same may be true for most people, but plans more research in the future to find out.

"Most of the literature suggests that when health goes down, marriage goes down," he said. "Some of the qualitative studies suggest that it's more complex than that. Couples can actually come closer together when they confront a challenge as a unified front."

The change isn't a big one, Yorgason admitted. On a scale of one to 30, most people in a couple in which one member is disabled rated their happiness a single point higher. Women under 55 reported no change in happiness when their husbands became disabled. But all other groups said they were happier -- a significant, if statistically minor, shocker, he said.

"It's not a whole lot happier, but it's surprising to find any change," he said. "There are a lot of things that influence marital happiness. Health plays a minor role, but it can be an important one."

American Fork resident Steve Phillips suffers from multiple sclerosis and has been in a wheelchair for the past three years of his 12-year marriage. Though he can no longer drive a car and admits his disability causes things to "really suck sometimes," he said it has also brought him and his wife, Teresa, closer together.

"I look back in hindsight and I'm really grateful for some of the things I've had to go through," said Phillips, 34. "I know it sounds kind of odd, but because I have physical limitations, I have to accept help. I have to ask for help."

Phillips said his MS hasn't gotten in the way of working from home or fathering five boys, the most recent of which was born two weeks ago. His wife keeps a full-time job to support the family, which he said has given him a greater understanding of the many ways family members can help each other.

"There are certain things I couldn't have unless we went through these struggles," he said. "We're changing roles and we're sharing opportunities more often than not."

Teresa, 33, said there was a learning curve when Steve first left work, but trying to see from his perspective helped her sympathize and taught her to roll with the punches.

"I don't feel like we're missing out on anything," she said. "I could make myself miserable and say, 'Why is this happening to me? It's not fair,' or I could say, 'Oh my goodness, my husband has to deal with not being the provider anymore,' and kind of put myself in his shoes."

More than anything, she said, she and Steve learned to cope with his disability and keep their spirits up to provide an example for their sons.

"I realized I'm not the only one dealing with this -- my attitude affects his attitude," she said. "We have to do what we can for our kids, because our attitudes will affect what they do for life."

Richard Anderson is the president of the Well Spouse Association, a New Jersey-based national support group for caregivers. He lost his wife in 2004 after a 29-year battle with scleroderma, a disease that hardened her internal organs and chronically fatigued her. He said it's important to the success of the marriage that caregivers don't forget about their own needs.

"What tends to happen is, people get locked into it, and they really want to do the very best for their spouse," he said. "They focus on the illness and they forget about their own needs and to have some kind of a balance in their life."

• Ace Stryker can be reached at 344-2556 or astryker@heraldextra.com.