Article Review
Health Policy. American Sociological Association 51.1 (2010). 54-66. Web.
The research article by Umberson and Montez looked into the effects of social relationships on the mental health, mortality risk, physical health, and health behavior of an individual (54). This descriptive-qualitative method of research reviewed existing studies previously conducted which looked into the health outcomes of social relationship and identified the explanations behind the said links. In addition, inequalities were also established in terms of social variation such as gender, race, and age. The results of the in-depth review of the articles were used in order to formulate health policies that would greatly benefit people’ while decreasing the negative effects to the health. This research provides a consolidated data of all the studies on social relationships and how they affect health in terms of behavioral, psychosocial, and physiological explanations. The current research also provides new and additional information to the literature on health and social relationships as the study identified the reasons that caused links between social relationships and health, as well as the social variation that influences them.
According to the study, people with low level of social relationships are more likely to die than those with greater involvement (Umberson and Montez 55). This was supported by various prospective studies of mortality conducted across industrialized countries. Low quality and quality social ties were also found to cause developments of certain health conditions which include cardiovascular disease, cancer and delayed cancer recovery, and slower wound healing (as cited in Umberson and Montez 55). Health behaviors were also found to be influenced by social ties, such that greater involvement in both formal (organizations) and informal ties encourage positive health behaviors, such as consuming nutritionally balanced diets and exercising, over a ten-year period. Umberson and Montez attribute this link to the influence or control of friends to one’s health habits, which may be in form of regulating or inhibiting, that helps promote better health (56). In terms of psychosocial, social support was also found to benefit mental and physical health. Previous studies state that supportive social ties promote reduction of stress and foster a sense of meaning in life, among others, and this can be traced back to symbolic meaning, or the meaning assigned to every social ties (Umberson and Montez 56). Based on physiological explanations, supportive relationships with others were found to improve immune, endocrine, and cardiovascular functions of the body, among others, which can be observed in the entire life course of an individual (Umberson and Montez 57). Effects of social ties, however, were found to be different based on demographic and social construction. In terms of gender, women were found to have larger groups of social ties more than men. In the same manner, better-educated adults were also found to have larger and more diverse relationships compared to those who are lesser-educated. While whites were concluded to have larger and broader social ties compared to blacks, older adults proved to be less social than the younger ones. These results are synonymous to the conclusion formed by McPherson et al. in their study titled “social Isolation in America: Changes in Core Discussion Networks over Two Decades” published by the American Sociological Association in 2006. According to the results, Americans who feel that they don’t have anyone to discuss important matters with have tripled compared to the same study, which was conducted two years prior to the study under discussion. However, despite losing kin and non-kin confidants, the respondents were found to have developed a higher quality relationship focused on spouses and parents (McPherson et al. 353). However, in another study by Kiecolt et al. Titled “Race, social relationships, and mental health” published in the journal of Personal Relationships in 2008, African Americans were found to have more health benefits of social relationships more than the whites. The study also concludes that African Americans have relatively good mental health despite being constantly exposed to situations inhibiting stress (Kiecolt et al. 2008). As poor mental and physical health affect families and the society at large, policies should take into consideration these results. Thus, programs and interventions which could increase burdens and strains in relationships should be avoided and should focus more instead in creating policies that would promote higher social integration.
The study presented solid scientific results which are highly significant to the present society. With the various health conditions that people experience, both directly and indirectly related to stress, it was interesting to learn that actively engaging in meaningful social relationships could be very beneficial. The use of descriptive-qualitative method in the current research enabled the researchers to look into various important factors relating health to social relationships. However, despite the broad and cohesive discussion that the chosen method was able to provide, there were still several limitations that the study was not able to address. As such, the authors propose that future researchers look into the causal mechanisms which link social isolation to poor health (Umberson and Montez 61). In addition, Umberson and Montez also suggest that future researches explore why social variables such as gender, race, and age, shape social ties, by creating and using survey designs and corresponding longitudinal analyses, dyadic information regarding social relationships, and qualitative data (62).
Works Cited
Kiecolt, K. Jill, Michael Hughes, and Verna M. Keith. “Race, social relationships, and mental
health.” Personal Relationships 15 (28). 229-245. Web. 9 March 216.
McPherson, Miller, Lynn Smith-Lovin, and Matthew E. Brashears. “Social Isolation in
America: Changes in Core Discussion Networks over Two Decades.” American Sociological Review 71 (2006). 353–375. Web. 9 March 216.
Umberson, Debra and Jennifer Karas Montez.”Social Relationships and Health: A Flashpoint for
Health Policy. American Sociological Association 51.1 (2010). 54-66. Web.
9 March 216.
