PROVIDING SOCIAL SUPPORT MAY BE MORE BENEFICIAL

Review Article

PROVIDING SOCIAL SUPPORT MAY BE MORE BENEFICIAL

Co-authors:

Stephanie L. Brown

Corresponding author:

Stephanie L. Brown

Abstract:

This study examines the relative contributions of giving ver- sus receiving support to longevity in a sample of older married adults. Baseline indicators of giving and receiving support were used to predict mortality status over a 5-year period in the Changing Lives of Older Couples sample. Results from logistic regression analyses indicated that mortality was significantly reduced for individuals who reported provid- ing instrumental support to friends, relatives, and neighbors, and indi- viduals who reported providing emotional support to their spouse. Receiving support had no effect on mortality once giving support was taken into consideration. This pattern of findings was obtained after controlling for demographic, personality, health, mental health, and marital-relationship variables. These results have implications for un- derstanding how social contact influences health and longevity.

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Description:

Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan; 2 Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Michigan; and
3 VA Health Services Research & Development Center of Excellence, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.

References:

As demographic shifts have produced a relatively more aged popula- tion, factors that influence longevity have taken on increased promi- nence. The documented health benefits of social support may offer a promising avenue for reducing mortality among older adults. Indeed, there is a robust association between social contact and health and well- being (House, Landis, & Umberson, 1988). However, it is not clear that receiving support accounts for these benefits (House et al., 1988). Tests of the social-support hypothesis—that receiving support improves health and well-being—have provided somewhat inconsistent results (Kahn, 1994), demonstrating in some instances that receiving support is harmful (e.g., S.L. Brown & Vinokur, in press; Hays, Saunders, Flint, Kaplan, & Blazer, 1997; Seeman, Bruce, & McAvay, 1996). In fact, a meta-analysis of the link between social support and health outcomes produced negligible findings, leading the study’s authors to conclude that the “small amounts of shared variance [between receiving support and health outcomes] may not be considered significant nor generaliz- able” (Smith, Fernengel, Holcroft, Gerald, & Marien, 1994, p. 352). Conceptually, it is not clear that receiving social support will always be beneficial. For example, depending on other people for support can cause guilt and anxiety (Lu & Argyle, 1992). And feeling like a burden to others who presumably provide support is associated with increased suicidal tendencies, even after controlling for depression (R.M. Brown, Dahlen, Mills, Rick, & Biblarz, 1999; de Catanzaro, 1986). The correla- tion of social support with dependence may help to explain why studies have failed to consistently confirm the social-support hypothesis.

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PROVIDING SOCIAL SUPPORT MAY BE MORE BENEFICIAL

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