Satisfying Midlife Relationships Can Keep You Healthy

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Highlights:

• Mid-life relationships that are satisfying have been related to a lower risk of many chronic diseases in later life
• Income, education, and health behaviors only partially explain the findings
• Further study is needed to investigate the different effects of interactions on the accumulation of numerous long-term conditions, such as intimacy, quality, and practical as well as emotional support

Satisfying connections in midlife with spouses, friends, or coworkers is associated with a lower chance of developing numerous long-term illnesses later in life (1^✔).

The study found that the less satisfying these relationships were, the higher the risk, with the findings only partially explained by influential characteristics such as money, education, and health behaviors.

Link Between Relationships and Health

A growing body of evidence suggests a correlation between strong social networks and excellent health and well-being in old age, but it's unclear whether these connections may reduce the risk of several long-term diseases (multimorbidity), which many older women encounter in particular.

‘Satisfying relationships in adulthood with companions, colleagues, or neighbors are related to a lower likelihood of developing multiple long-term conditions later in life, especially among women’

In order to determine how much a woman's degree of happiness with her relationships-partner, family, friends, work colleagues, and other social connections-influences her risk, the researchers drew on 13,714 individuals from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH).

The ALSWH is a continuing population-based study that examines characteristics related to health and well-being in women aged 18-23, 45-50, and 70-75 in 1996.

In 1996, all of the women in the current study were between the ages of 45 and 50. Up until 2016, their health and well-being were tracked by a questionnaire every three years and roughly scored up to a maximum of 3 points.

They were asked to rate their degree of satisfaction with each of their five relationship categories on a 4-point scale, with each response worth one point.

They were also asked if they had diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, osteoporosis, arthritis, cancer, depression, or anxiety.

Numerous conditions were characterized as accumulating two or more of these from a starting position of none, or additional conditions from just one, or from two or more (multimorbidity).

The following potentially significant demographic, lifestyle, and hormonal characteristics were collected: country of birth, marital status, area of residence, educational attainment, ability to manage income, weight (BMI), physical activity, alcohol intake, smoking, and menopausal status.

The final analysis comprised 7694 women, 58% (4,484) of whom had various long-term illnesses collected over the course of 20 years of surveillance.

Individuals who did so were more likely to have lower educational attainment, struggle to make ends meet, be overweight or obese, physically inactive, smokers, and have undergone surgically induced menopause.

Overall, relationship satisfaction was linked to the development of several long-term conditions: the higher the levels of happiness, the lower the chances.

When accounting for all possibly influencing factors, women who reported the highest degree of satisfaction (score of 15) were more than twice as likely to accumulate numerous long-term conditions as those who reported the lowest (score of 5 or less).

Factors Considered in the Relationship

According to the researchers, the degree of the link was comparable to that of other well-established risk factors such as overweight or obesity, physical inactivity, smoking, and alcohol consumption.

When all five types of relationships were included, the association diminished but remained significant for all but friendships. When different circumstances were examined separately, similar results were obtained.

Well-known risk factors such as socioeconomic status, health behaviors, and menopausal state explained less than one-fifth of the observed connection.

Because this is an observational study, the cause cannot be determined. It also relied on personal recall and did not capture information on early adult social interactions. Furthermore, because it primarily involved Australian women, the findings may not be applicable to men or other cultures.

They emphasize that more study is needed to investigate the additional particular effects of partnerships on the accumulation of numerous long-term conditions, such as intimacy, quantity, and emotional and practical support.

Findings of the Study

"Our findings have major implications for chronic disease management and intervention," they conclude. Secondly, at the individual level, these implications may assist women in counseling about the benefits of initiating or maintaining high-quality, diverse social interactions from middle to early old age.

"Second, at the community level, interventions focusing on social relationship satisfaction or quality may be particularly efficient in preventing the progression of chronic conditions."

"Third, at the country and global levels, social connections (e.g., social relationship satisfaction) should be considered a public health priority in chronic disease prevention and intervention."

Reference:

1. Social relationship satisfaction and accumulation of chronic conditions and multimorbidity: a national cohort of Australian women - (https:gpsych.bmj.com/content/36/1/e100925)

Source: Medindia

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