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Social relations and health – with a special focus on negative aspects of social relations and the linking mechanisms

Brief description:

The associations between social relations and health and health related outcomes, and the possible mechanisms linking social relations to health are investigated with a special focus on negative aspects of social relations.

Objective:

To investigate the associations between social relations and health and health related outcomes (i.e. functional ability, medication) and the possible mechanisms linking these associations e.g. low grade inflammation, blood pressure, blood lipids and lung function. Furthermore, the investigation of possible effect modifiers such as gender and socioeconomic position and the effect of different social roles (e.g. partner, family, friends) are important in future planning of effective prevention. Especially the impact of negative aspects of social relations on health related outcomes are of interest.

Time period:

2011-15

Project description:

Previous research on social relations has primarily focused on the positive effects of social support and social integration, whereas knowledge of the influence of negative aspects (e.g. conflicts, worries, demands, caregiver stress) is sparse. In addition, the influence on health of different social roles in the social network is also lacking. Furthermore, the mechanisms linking social relations to health and health related outcomes are not well understood and further research in possible physiological links based on large epidemiological population based studies is needed. We will investigate the association between social relations (e.g. worries, demands, conflicts and caregiver stress) and mortality, hospitalization for incident ischemic heart disease, COPD, BMI, medication and functional ability, if these associations are moderated by gender and socioeconomic position and if they are different across social roles. The physiological pathways will be analyzed focusing on e.g. low grade inflammation, blood pressure, blood lipids and lung function in large population based cohorts.

Data:

The project is based data from:

• Projekt Metropolit læs mere på metropolit.dk
• Copenhagen Aging and Midlife Biobank (CAMB) læs mere på www.camb.dk
• Danish Longitudinal Study on Work Unemployment and Health
• Preventive Home visits
• The Copenhagen Multi-centre Psychosocial Infertility (COMPI) Research Programme
• Copenhagen City Heart Study
• The Danish Register of Causes of death
• The National Patient Register
• The National prescription Registry

Researchers:

Rikke Lund, Naja Hulvej Rod, Ulla Christensen, Charlotte Juul Nilsson, Margit Kriegbaum, Karsten Thielen, Helle Wallach, Lone Schmidt, Alice Clark, Malene Nielsen.

Collaboration:

Professor Carlos Mendes de Leon, Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA Link

Senior researcher Helle Bruunsgaard Centre for Inflammation and Metabolism, Rigshopitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark 
Link

Contact person:

Rikke Lund

Publications (10 most important)

1. Lund R, Rod NH, Christensen U. Are negative aspects of social relations predictive of angina pectoris? A six year follow-up study of middle-aged Danish women and men. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2010 (e-pub head of print)

2. Lund R, Nilsson CJ, Avlund K. Can the higher risk of disability onset among older people who live alone be alleviated by strong social relations? A longitudinal study of non-disabled men and women. Age and Ageing 2010;39(3):319-26

3. Nilsson CJ, Avlund K, Lund R. Mobility disability in midlife - a longitudinal study of the role anticipated instrumental support and social class. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics 2010;51(2):152-8.

4. Kriegbaum M, Christensen U, Osler M, Lund R. Excessive drinking and history of unemployment and cohabitation in Danish men born in 1953. Accepted for publication in European Journal of Public Health 2010 sept.

5. Lund R, Sandal C, Christensen U, Schmidt L. The impact of social relations on incident severe depressive symptoms among infertile women and men. Human Reproduction 2009;24(11):2810-20.

6. Lund R, Kragelund K, Hansen DH, Kriegbaum M, Molbo D, Due P, Christensen U. Exposure to bullying at school and depression in adulthood: A study of Danish men born in 1953. European Journal of Public Health 2009;19(1):111-116.

7. Lund R, Christensen U, Holstein BE, Due P, Osler M. Influence of marital history over two and three generations on early death. A longitudinal study of Danish males born in 1953. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2006;60:496-501

8. Lund R, Osler M, Holstein BE. Marital history from age 15 to 40 years and subsequent mortality: a longitudinal study of Danish males born in 1953. International Journal of Epidemiology 2004; 33:389-397

9. Lund R, Due P, Modvig J, Holstein BE, Damsgaard MT, Andersen PK. Cohabitation and marital status as predictors of mortality – an eight year follow-up study. Soc Sci Med 2002;55(4):673-9.

10. Lund R, Modvig J, Due P, Holstein BE. Stability and change in structural social relations as predictor of mortality among elderly women and men. Eur J Epidemiol 2000;16(12):1087-97.