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 Home Partner Features  Article
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 ealth
is defined not only as the absence of disease and illness, but also
as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being. This
definition of health incorporates the importance of social support
and close personal relationships in the overall concept of health
and wellness.
In the past, most research on the connection between
relationships and health focused on the connection between social
support/relationships and emotional/psychological health. More recent
studies have focused on the connection between social support/relationships
and physical health. For example, research tells us that:
- An unhappy marriage increases the chances of becoming ill by
35% and can shorten one's life by an average of four years.
- Children growing up in unstable marriages tend to have higher
levels of stress causing them to be sick more often.
Research on the connection between social support/relationships
and physical health has found that certain relationship characteristics
protect us against physical disease and illness. These characteristics
include:
- being close and connected,
- being able to solve problems and make decisions as a team,
- being able to cope with a variety of situations together, and
- being able to talk honestly and openly.
Relationship characteristics that have been shown
to increase the risk for disease and illness include:
- relationships that are angry and hostile,
- relationships where there is criticism and blame,
- relationships that are rigid and not flexible,
- relationships that try to be "perfect", and
- not having close relationships.
A lack of social support and close relationships
has been linked with physical conditions such as heart disease, different
forms of cancer, epilepsy, inflammatory bowel disease, and arthritis.
The quality of personal relationships has also been linked to the
physical health of the elderly, the immune system, reproductive health/puberty,
smoking and drinking habits, as well as risk taking behavior. Some
examples of these include:
- Unmarried people with cancer have an 8-17% lower chance of survival
because they receive less support than married people.
- Women who are grieving the loss of a relationship through death
or divorce have higher rates of arthritis.
- Elderly people who do not have social support and close relationships
with others are more likely to have shorter lives.
- Couples that are more negative and/or hostile while discussing
marital problems have more negative changes in their immune system
up to 24 hours after their discussion.
- Children who come from divorced families are more likely to
start smoking, and males from divorced families are more likely
to be problem drinkers.
- People who are grieving the loss of a loved one are more likely
to use alcohol and tranquilizers.
- Women who are not in close contact with their extended families
and have little sense of family heritage are more likely to take
sexual risks that lead to contracting STDs/HIV.
Relationships influence physical health
The role of personal relationships and social support
is to provide:
- intimacy (provides an environment where people are able to express
themselves openly without being self-conscious),
- a sense of belonging (provides people with shared experiences,
information, and ideas),
- an opportunity to care for others and be cared for by others
(giving and receiving support),
- reassurance of worth (affirms to people that they are important
to others),
- assistance (provides people with help),
- guidance and advice (provides people with feedback and insight),
and
- access to new contacts and different information (through relationships
we meet new people and/or new sources of information).
Based on these roles, relationships are able to
influence physical health because they
- provide people with information. People in relationships provide
information, advice, services and new social contacts to one another.
Individuals with stronger/healthier social networks have access
to more resources, are better able to access services, and know
how to utilize health services more effectively. As a result,
these people obtain better medical care and have better physical
health.
- provide people with a caring environment. Better functioning
social networks/relationships take better care of their members
by providing help and financial support.
- provide a group identity. Individuals in social networks feel
peer pressure to behave like other group members. Groups of individuals
that have health-promoting behavior have members that are healthier.
- provide a buffer to stress. People in healthy relationships
have other people to support and help them through stressful and
difficult situations.
- provide a purpose for living a healthy lifestyle. People in
stable well functioning relationships develop a larger meaning
and purpose in life and are more motivated to protect themselves
against disease/illness/injury.
Improving relationships prevents disease/illness
Research on the connections between social support/relationships
and physical health has shown that healthy relationships help to prevent
physical disease and illness. More recent studies have also found
that social support and healthy relationships can help reverse the
symptoms of certain diseases/illness. Based on this information, it
is important that individuals work hard to achieve and maintain healthy,
happy, relationships with friends, family, co-workers, the community,
etc. Many educational programs such as marriage preparation, marriage
enrichment, parenting, grand parenting, and employee relations, have
been designed to empower people by teaching them relationship skills,
how to take care of themselves, and how to take care of their loved
ones. By improving the quality of their social networks and personal
relationships, individuals can not only improve their social and mental
well-being, but their physical health as well.
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Date published: October 1, 2002 |
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Article prepared by the 
