The powerful effect of your social environment

People have always understood that the quality of a person’s relationships with others can influence mental and physical health, but it is only recently that scientific evidence on the impact of relationships has become available.

Supportive relationships help to reduce psychological stress, particularly in bad times or following traumatic experiences. This can include offering an understanding ear and advice, or more substantial support like money and care during difficult economic periods.

• A research study by Brown and Harris (1978) found that women who had suffered major life events, such as the loss of a close family member or a chronic illness, were much more likely to suffer from a major depressive episode. But this was not true of all who had experienced bad events.
• They showed conclusively that when the woman had a close, confiding relationship, this reduced the likelihood of depression significantly. A woman without a partner to confide in was four times more likely to develop depression than a woman with such a relationship.
• The research also showed that the death of a mother before the age of 11 critically undermined a woman’s feelings of self-worth and esteem, key elements of mental health resilience.
• Subsequent research has confirmed the role of supportive relationships for protecting against depression (Kawachi and Berkman 2001; Harris et al 1999).

• Research has shown that physical health and risk of death are strongly influenced by the availability of close, supportive relationships. Longitudinal studies allow researchers to follow the same individuals over time (like the TILDA study), to measure the social environment and then study later outcomes and processes.

1. The control group, who received no additional support.
2. The low intervention group, who received advice and information about diet, exercise and cardiovascular health.
3. The high intervention group, who received the same advice as the low intervention group but also participated in a support group.

1. Humans are a social species and we live in groups. The absence of social interaction and group participation suggests that a serious event has occurred, such as the loss of a loved one, or social isolation because of mental illness or a traumatic event.
2. Social support can influence the degree of stress experienced. Support networks can be used to provide help, such as childcare when your usual child minder isn’t available, a lift to work when your own car breaks down, or financial support during economic bad times.
3. Social support can also moderate our reactions to stressful events by providing a psychological or emotional boost or by giving us a different context to understand them in. Although sharing a problem with a friend or family member might not make it go away, simply sharing it helps reduce the physiological reactions that we experience. If the confidant can also provide a broader context to understand the situation, this can also change its effects.

For example, I may feel stressed if I believe that my actions, or lack of them, have led to some event, but you might convince me that it wasn’t actually my fault, and that this can happen to many people. By changing my perspective on the event, I reduce the level of stress that I experience and, in so doing, change my body’s harmful physiological responses.

• Do your friends and family help you manage stressful situations in life, or do they cause them?

Richard Layte is a Professor of Sociology at Trinity College Dublin.