Social relationships and allostatic load in the MIDUS study.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

This study examines how the social environment is related to allostatic load (AL), a multisystem index of biological risk.

Method

A national sample of adults (N = 949) aged 34-84 rated their relationships with spouse, family, and friends at 2 time points 10 years apart. At the second time point, participants completed a biological protocol in which indices of autonomic, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, cardiovascular, inflammatory, and metabolic function were obtained and used to create an AL summary score. Generalized estimating equations were used to examine the associations among 3 aspects of social relationships-social support, social negativity, and frequency of social contact-and AL.

Results

Higher levels of spouse negativity, family negativity, fr

SUBMITTER: Brooks KP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4104264 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature