Social ties and health promotion: suggestions for population-based research

Our interactions with family, friends, neighbours and co-workers have pervasive effects on how we feel and function. Accordingly, a priority for health promotion is the strengthening of positive social ties. The anticipated benefits are better functioning individuals, families, neighbourhoods and work groups, and improved mental and physical health. Yet, there is a large gap between this ideal and knowledge about how to achieve it. Too little is known at present about the processes involved in the social ties/health connection, though research is proceeding on diverse fronts If disconnected research efforts could become more complementary and reinforcing, knowledge development might move forward at a faster pace. Two research streams hold particular promise in this regard. One of these has its locus in epidemiology and focuses on supportive social ties as positive influences on health. The other has its locus in fields such as gerontology and psychology, and focuses on social strain as a negative influence on health and functioning. The case for better connecting these two is merely illustrative of the possibilities that may arise from better collaboration across fields. The integration of theory and knowledge bases from epidemiology, gerontology, physiology, psychology and psychiatry (among many other fields) figures prominently in efforts to construct theory about the basic nature of and motivation for attachment with others [see, e.g. A large literature has now developed from epidemiological research on the negative relationship between social integration and perceived availability of social support, on the one hand, and The general pattern of findings, captured well in Schwartzer and Leppin's meta analysis of 80 studies with a total sample size of 60 939 and 447 110 effect sizes, is that there exists a meaningful negative statistical relationship between social integration/social support and morbidity/mortality. This observation is compelling given the remarkable heterogeneity in the ways that social integration and support have been conceptualized and measured, and the broad range of health status indicators that have been investigated. Various pathways have been proposed to explain how supportive social ties exert influence on the physical and psychological health of individuals Members of one's social network can be sources of information to help one avoid stressful or high-risk situations. They can serve as positive behavioural role models. Social integration may increase feelings of self-esteem, self-identity and control over one's environment, leading to better health outcomes. Social ties can also subject an individual to social regulation and social controls, and …