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How gender affects patterns of social relations and their impact on health: a comparison of one or multiple sources of support from "close persons"

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  • Fuhrer, R.
  • Stansfeld, S. A.

Abstract

Numerous studies have reported gender differences in the effects of social relations on morbidity and mortality. When studying health and associated factors, one cannot ignore that sex differences exist and methods that are not "gender-fair" may lead to erroneous conclusions. This paper presents a critical analysis of the health/social relations association from a measurement perspective, including the definitions of people's networks and how they differ by gender. Findings from the Whitehall II Study of Civil Servants illustrate that women report more close persons in their primary networks, and are less likely to nominate their spouse as the closest person, but both men and women report the same proportion of women among their four closest persons. Women have a wider range of sources of emotional support. To date, most epidemiological studies have habitually analysed support provided by the closest person or confidant(e). We compared the health effects of social support when measured for the closest person only and when information from up to four close persons was incorporated into a weighted index. Information from up to four close persons offered a more accurate portrayal of support exchanged, and gender differences were attenuated, if not eliminated, when this support index was used to predict physical and psychological health.

Suggested Citation

  • Fuhrer, R. & Stansfeld, S. A., 2002. "How gender affects patterns of social relations and their impact on health: a comparison of one or multiple sources of support from "close persons"," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 54(5), pages 811-825, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:54:y:2002:i:5:p:811-825
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    1. Maria Gabriella Melchiorre & Mirko Di Rosa & Giovanni Lamura & Francisco Torres-Gonzales & Jutta Lindert & Mindaugas Stankunas & Elisabeth Ioannidi-Kapolou & Henrique Barros & Gloria Macassa & Joaquim, 2016. "Abuse of Older Men in Seven European Countries: A Multilevel Approach in the Framework of an Ecological Model," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(1), pages 1-28, January.
    2. García-Calvente, Mar & Marcos-Marcos, Jorge & del Río-Lozano, María & Hidalgo-Ruzzante, Natalia & Maroto-Navarro, Gracia, 2012. "Embedded gender and social changes underpinning inequalities in health: An ethnographic insight into a local Spanish context," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(12), pages 2225-2232.
    3. Natasha Wood & Anne McMunn & Elizabeth Webb & Mai Stafford, 2019. "Marriage and physical capability at mid to later life in England and the USA," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(1), pages 1-15, January.
    4. Landstedt, Evelina & Almquist, Ylva B. & Eriksson, Malin & Hammarström, Anne, 2016. "Disentangling the directions of associations between structural social capital and mental health: Longitudinal analyses of gender, civic engagement and depressive symptoms," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 135-143.
    5. Clouston, Sean A.P. & Quesnel-Vallée, Amélie, 2012. "The role of defamilialization in the relationship between partnership and self-rated health: A cross-national comparison of Canada and the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(8), pages 1342-1350.
    6. Eriksson, Malin & Ng, Nawi, 2015. "Changes in access to structural social capital and its influence on self-rated health over time for middle-aged men and women: A longitudinal study from northern Sweden," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 250-258.
    7. Marianne Nilsen Kvande & Christian Andreas Klöckner & Michael E. Nielsen, 2015. "Church Attendance and Religious Experience," SAGE Open, , vol. 5(4), pages 21582440156, October.
    8. Anne-Lise Biotteau & Carole Bonnet & Emmanuelle Cambois, 2019. "Risk of Major Depressive Episodes After Separation: The Gender-Specific Contribution of the Income and Support Lost Through Union Dissolution," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 35(3), pages 519-542, July.
    9. Vonneilich, Nico & Lüdecke, Daniel & von dem Knesebeck, Olaf, 2020. "Educational inequalities in self-rated health and social relationships – analyses based on the European Social Survey 2002-2016," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 267(C).
    10. Jin You & Helene Fung & Peter Vitaliano, 2020. "The pattern of social support seeking and its socio-demographic variations among older adults in China," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 341-348, September.
    11. Ângela Leite & Ana Ramires & Diogo Guedes Vidal & Hélder Fernando Pedrosa e Sousa & Maria Alzira Pimenta Dinis & Alexandra Fidalgo, 2021. "Hierarchical Cluster Analysis of Human Value Priorities and Associations with Subjective Well-Being, Subjective General Health, Social Life, and Depression across Europe," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-25, February.
    12. Ambugo, Eliva A., 2014. "Cross-country variation in the sociodemographic factors associated with major depressive episode in Norway, the United Kingdom, Ghana, and Kenya," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 154-160.
    13. Haiyan Liu & Ick Hoon Jin & Zhiyong Zhang & Ying Yuan, 2021. "Social Network Mediation Analysis: A Latent Space Approach," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 86(1), pages 272-298, March.
    14. Jing Liao & Jing Zhang & Jinzhao Xie & Jing Gu, 2021. "Gender Specificity of Spousal Concordance in the Development of Chronic Disease among Middle-Aged and Older Chinese Couples: A Prospective Dyadic Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-11, March.
    15. Thomas, Patricia A., 2011. "Gender, social engagement, and limitations in late life," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 73(9), pages 1428-1435.
    16. Hjordis Sigursteinsdottir & Fjola Bjork Karlsdottir, 2022. "Does Social Support Matter in the Workplace? Social Support, Job Satisfaction, Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace during COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-14, April.
    17. Chang Fu & Zhen Li & Zongfu Mao, 2018. "Association between Social Activities and Cognitive Function among the Elderly in China: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-11, January.
    18. Lee, Yeonjin & Jean Yeung, Wei-Jun, 2019. "Gender matters: Productive social engagement and the subsequent cognitive changes among older adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 229(C), pages 87-95.
    19. Jongnam Hwang & Sangmin Park & Sujin Kim, 2018. "Effects of Participation in Social Activities on Cognitive Function Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Korea," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-12, October.
    20. Phillip J. Granberry & Maria Idalí Torres, 2017. "Social Capital Accumulation among Puerto Rican Mothers in Urban Neighborhoods," Societies, MDPI, vol. 7(1), pages 1-13, March.

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