title: Social relationships and physiological determinants of longevity across the human life span.
abstract: Two decades of research indicate causal associations between social relationships and mortality, but important questions remain as to how social relationships affect health, when effects emerge, and how long they last. Drawing on data from four nationally representative longitudinal samples of the US population, we implemented an innovative life course design to assess the prospective association of both structural and functional dimensions of social relationships (social integration, social support, and social strain) with objectively measured biomarkers of physical health (C-reactive protein, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, waist circumference, and body mass index) within each life stage, including adolescence and young, middle, and late adulthood, and compare such associations across life stages. We found that a higher degree of social integration was associated with lower risk of physiological dysregulation in a dose-response manner in both early and later life. Conversely, lack of social connections was associated with vastly elevated risk in specific life stages. For example, social isolation increased the risk of inflammation by the same magnitude as physical inactivity in adolescence, and the effect of social isolation on hypertension exceeded that of clinical risk factors such as diabetes in old age. Analyses of multiple dimensions of social relationships within multiple samples across the life course produced consistent and robust associations with health. Physiological impacts of structural and functional dimensions of social relationships emerge uniquely in adolescence and midlife and persist into old age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599; Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27516; Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27514;
authors.forename: Yang Claire
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599; Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27516;
authors.forename: Courtney
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Boen
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599; Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27516;
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gerken
authors.affiliation: Center for Population and Development Studies, Renmin University, Beijing 100872, China.
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599; Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27516;
authors.forename: Kristen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schorpp
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599; Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27516; kathie_harris@unc.edu.
authors.forename: Kathleen Mullan
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Harris
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D006262:Health; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008136:Longevity / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008954:Models, Biological; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012944:Social Support; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: biomarker; life course; longevity; physiological dysregulation; social relationships