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Baron CE, Smith TW, Uchino BN, Baucom BR, Birmingham WC. Getting along and getting ahead: Affiliation and dominance predict ambulatory blood pressure. Health Psychol 2016; 35:253-61. [DOI: 10.1037/hea0000290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Uchino BN, Ruiz JM, Smith TW, Smyth JM, Taylor DJ, Allison M, Ahn C. Ethnic/racial differences in the association between social support and levels of C-reactive proteins in the North Texas Heart Study. Psychophysiology 2016; 53:64-70. [PMID: 26681618 PMCID: PMC4685737 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2015] [Revised: 06/25/2015] [Accepted: 06/25/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Perceived social support has been reliably related to lower rates of morbidity and mortality. However, studies modeling C-reactive protein (CRP) as an important biological pathway linking social support to health have produced inconsistent results. Given purported ethnic/racial differences in sensitivity to social resources, the present study tested if ethnicity/race moderated the link between perceived support and CRP in a diverse community sample of 300 participants from the North Texas Heart Study. Consistent with prior research, there was no overall link between social support and CRP levels. However, the association between social support and high sensitivity (hs)-CRP levels was moderated by ethnicity/race as perceived support predicted lower hs-CRP levels primarily in African Americans. These results suggest the importance of considering how ethnicity/race may inform models on the complex biological mechanisms linking social support to health.
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Uchino BN, Bowen K, Grey RGKD, Smith TW, Baucom BR, Light KC, Ray S. Loving-Kindness Meditation Improves Relationship Negativity and Psychological Well-Being: A Pilot Study. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.4236/psych.2016.71002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Abstract
Increasing evidence suggests that perceived social isolation or loneliness is a major risk factor for physical and mental illness in later life. This review assesses the status of research on loneliness and health in older adults. Key concepts and definitions of loneliness are identified, and the prevalence, correlates, and health effects of loneliness in older individuals are reviewed. Theoretical mechanisms that underlie the association between loneliness and health are also described, and illustrative studies examining these mechanisms are summarized. Intervention approaches to reduce loneliness in old age are highlighted, and priority recommendations for future research are presented.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND The quality of social relationships and social support appears to be associated with physical health outcomes and sleep quality. Almost all previous research in this area focuses on positive aspects of relationships. PURPOSE The present study thus intended to examine the links between supportive, aversive, ambivalent, and indifferent network ties and sleep quality. METHODS Relationship data, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)-assessed sleep quality, and depression were examined in 175 middle-aged and older adults. RESULTS Consistent with hypotheses, supportive ties were positively related to sleep quality, while aversive ties predicted worse sleep quality, associations that were primarily seen for close relationships. Ambivalent and indifferent ties were not significant predictors of sleep quality. Importantly, depression was found to mediate the link between relationship quality and sleep quality. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest the more specific types of social relationships that may be linked to poor sleep quality and that depression appears to underlie these associations.
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Ong AD, Uchino BN, Wethington E. Loneliness and Health in Older Adults: A Mini-Review and Synthesis. Gerontology 2015; 62:443-9. [PMID: 26539997 PMCID: PMC6162046 DOI: 10.1159/000441651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 424] [Impact Index Per Article: 47.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2015] [Accepted: 10/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing evidence suggests that perceived social isolation or loneliness is a major risk factor for physical and mental illness in later life. This review assesses the status of research on loneliness and health in older adults. Key concepts and definitions of loneliness are identified, and the prevalence, correlates, and health effects of loneliness in older individuals are reviewed. Theoretical mechanisms that underlie the association between loneliness and health are also described, and illustrative studies examining these mechanisms are summarized. Intervention approaches to reduce loneliness in old age are highlighted, and priority recommendations for future research are presented.
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Uchino BN, Ruiz JM, Smith TW, Smyth JM, Taylor DJ, Allison M, Ahn C. Erratum to: The Strength of Family Ties: Perceptions of Network Relationship Quality and Levels of C-Reactive Proteins in the North Texas Heart Study. Ann Behav Med 2015; 49:782. [PMID: 26152645 DOI: 10.1007/s12160-015-9720-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
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Sanbonmatsu DM, Posavac SS, Behrends AA, Moore SM, Uchino BN. Why a Confirmation Strategy Dominates Psychological Science. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0138197. [PMID: 26384327 PMCID: PMC4575142 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0138197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2015] [Accepted: 08/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Our research explored the incidence and appropriateness of the much-maligned confirmatory approach to testing scientific hypotheses. Psychological scientists completed a survey about their research goals and strategies. The most frequently reported goal is to test the non-absolute hypothesis that a particular relation exists in some conditions. As expected, few scientists reported testing universal hypotheses. Most indicated an inclination to use a confirmation strategy to test the non-absolute hypotheses that a particular relation sometimes occurs or sometimes does not occur, and a disconfirmation strategy to test the absolute hypotheses that a particular relation always occurs or never occurs. The confirmatory search that dominates the field was found to be associated with the testing of non-absolute hypotheses. Our analysis indicates that a confirmatory approach is the normatively correct test of the non-absolute hypotheses that are the starting point of most studies. It also suggests that the strategy of falsification that was once proposed by Popper is generally incorrect given the infrequency of tests of universal hypotheses.
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Allen JP, Uchino BN, Hafen CA. Running With the Pack: Teen Peer-Relationship Qualities as Predictors of Adult Physical Health. Psychol Sci 2015; 26:1574-83. [PMID: 26290522 DOI: 10.1177/0956797615594118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2015] [Accepted: 06/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
This study assessed qualities of adolescent peer relationships as long-term predictors of physical health quality in adulthood. In an intensive multimethod, multireporter study of a community sample of 171 individuals assessed repeatedly from the ages of 13 to 27 years, physical health quality in adulthood was robustly predicted by independent reports of early-adolescent close-friendship quality and by a pattern of acquiescence to social norms in adolescent peer relationships. Predictions remained after accounting for numerous potential confounds, including prior health problems, concurrent body mass index, anxious and depressive symptoms, personality characteristics, adolescent-era financial adversity, and adolescent-era physical attractiveness. These findings have important implications for understanding the unique intensity of peer relationships in adolescence.
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Uchino BN. Understanding the Links Between Social Support and Physical Health: A Life-Span Perspective With Emphasis on the Separability of Perceived and Received Support. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2015; 4:236-55. [PMID: 26158961 DOI: 10.1111/j.1745-6924.2009.01122.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 581] [Impact Index Per Article: 64.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Social support has been reliably related to physical health outcomes. However, the conceptual basis of such links needs greater development. In this article, I argue for a life-span perspective on social support and health that takes into account distinct antecedent processes and mechanisms that are related to measures of support over time. Such a view highlights the need to distinguish measures of perceived and received support and its links to more specific diseases (e.g., chronic, acute) and stages of disease development (e.g., incidence). I discuss both the novel implications of these theoretical arguments for research on social support and physical health, as well as the potential intervention approaches that are apparent from this perspective.
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Henry NJM, Smith TW, Butner J, Berg CA, Sewell KK, Uchino BN. Marital quality, depressive symptoms, and the metabolic syndrome: a couples structural model. J Behav Med 2015; 38:497-506. [PMID: 25677374 DOI: 10.1007/s10865-015-9619-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2013] [Accepted: 01/13/2015] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The indirect association of marital quality with metabolic syndrome (MetS) through depressive symptoms was examined in 301 middle-aged and older couples. MetS components (i.e., waist circumference, blood pressure, blood draws to assess triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, and fasting glucose) were assessed following a 12-h fast, and were treated as a continuous latent variable for analyses. In structural equation modeling of this indirect effect, overall model fit was good, and husbands' and wives' marital quality was associated with MetS only through depressive symptoms. Joint tests of the parameters indicated that gender did not moderate this association. The best fitting, most parsimonious model, after nested model comparisons, was one in which husbands' and wives' indirect paths were equated. Overall, marital quality was related to MetS through its relationship to depressive symptoms for men and women. Associations of marital quality and depression with MetS may overlap, and couple-based approaches to psychosocial risk factors for cardiovascular disease may be useful in future research.
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Sanbonmatsu DM, Hill JB, Moore SM, Behrends AA, Uchino BN. Selective Testing of Possible Causes of Personal Stress: Effects on Coping Intentions. JOURNAL OF SOCIAL AND CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY 2014. [DOI: 10.1521/jscp.2014.33.9.789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Uchino BN, Cawthon RM, Smith TW, Kent RG, Bowen K, Light KC. A cross-sectional analysis of the association between perceived network social control and telomere length. Health Psychol 2014; 34:531-8. [PMID: 25110842 DOI: 10.1037/hea0000148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Social control in the health domain refers to attempts by social network members to get an individual to modify their health behaviors. According to the dual effects model of social control, having one's health behavior controlled by others should be related to healthier behavioral change, but might arouse psychological distress as one may resent being controlled. Despite potential healthy behavior change, the stress of social control may thus be detrimental as interpersonal stress has been related to negative health outcomes. In the present study, the association between perceived social control and telomere length was tested to examine its association to biological outcomes. METHOD In this cross-sectional study, a relatively healthy community sample of 140 middle age and older adults completed measures of perceived social control, perceived stress, and health behaviors. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were used to determine telomere length. RESULTS Main results showed that higher levels of perceived direct social network control were associated with shorter telomere length. These links were not influenced by statistical controls for medication use, self-rated health, trait hostility, and optimism. Perceived social control was also related to greater perceived stress but not health behaviors overall. However, neither perceived stress nor health behaviors mediated the link between social control and telomere length. CONCLUSIONS Although the study design precludes strong inferences, these results suggest that perceived social control may be associated with cellular aging. These data also highlight the utility of integrating biological outcomes into social control models. (PsycINFO Database Record
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Smith TW, Uchino BN, Bosch JA, Kent RG. Trait hostility is associated with systemic inflammation in married couples: an actor-partner analysis. Biol Psychol 2014; 102:51-3. [PMID: 25019591 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2014.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2013] [Revised: 06/27/2014] [Accepted: 07/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Trait anger and hostility predict the development of coronary heart disease, and systemic inflammation may partly mediate this association. In a sample of 94 middle-aged and older married couples, we replicate research showing a within individuals (i.e., actor effect) association of trait hostility with high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP). As a novel extension of that research, the present study also examined the association of individuals' trait hostility with their partners' hsCRP (i.e., partner effect). Controlling for potential confounds, trait hostility, measured with the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire, was significantly associated with both participants' own hsCRP, b=.0528 (SE=.0196), p=.008 and their partners' levels b=.0473 (SE=.0194), p=.016. Hence, the inflammatory correlates of trait hostility occur not only within individuals but between them, as well. The effects of unhealthy personality traits may extend to intimate partners and possibly other social network members.
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Mikal JP, Rice RE, Kent RG, Uchino BN. Common voice: Analysis of behavior modification and content convergence in a popular online community. COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2014.02.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Cundiff JM, Smith TW, Uchino BN, Berg CA. Subjective social status: construct validity and associations with psychosocial vulnerability and self-rated health. Int J Behav Med 2014; 20:148-58. [PMID: 22200973 DOI: 10.1007/s12529-011-9206-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Subjective social status (SSS) predicts health outcomes independently of traditional, objective indicators of socioeconomic status (SES). However, the potential confounding and mediating effects of negative affect and similar psychosocial risk and resilience factors have not been adequately addressed through formal studies of convergent and discriminant validity of SSS measures. PURPOSE The current study provides such a test of construct validity and subsequently examines whether psychosocial factors mediate the relationship between SSS and self-rated health. METHODS We examined the convergent and discriminant validity of the MacArthur scales of SSS relative to measures of psychosocial risk and resilience (i.e., neuroticism, depressive symptoms, optimism, and marital quality) as well as SES (i.e., income) in 300 middle-aged and older married US couples. We also tested a factor of psychosocial vulnerability as a mediator of the relationship between SSS and self-rated health. RESULTS Findings indicated clear convergent and discriminant validity of the MacArthur scales. Further, controlling age and income, both the US and community measures of SSS predicted psychosocial factors for men, however, only the community measure was independently predictive for women. Psychosocial vulnerability significantly mediated the pathway between SSS and self-rated health for men and women after controlling age and income. CONCLUSIONS These results provide strong support for the construct validity of the MacArthur scales and provide additional evidence of the role of psychosocial risk and resilience factors as mediators of the effects of SSS on health.
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Uchino BN, Smith TW, Berg CA. Spousal relationship quality and cardiovascular risk: dyadic perceptions of relationship ambivalence are associated with coronary-artery calcification. Psychol Sci 2014; 25:1037-42. [PMID: 24501110 PMCID: PMC3984367 DOI: 10.1177/0956797613520015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The quality of spousal relationships has been related to physical-health outcomes. However, most studies have focused on relationship positivity or negativity in isolation, despite the fact that many close relationships are characterized by both positive and negative aspects (i.e., ambivalence). In addition, most work has not accounted for the reciprocal nature of close-relationship processes that can have an impact on health. Using a sample of 136 older married couples, we tested whether actor-partner models of relationships that were either primarily positive or ambivalent (i.e., perceived as having both helpful and upsetting aspects) predicted measures of coronary-artery calcification. Results revealed an Actor × Partner interaction whereby coronary-artery calcification scores were highest for individuals who both viewed and were viewed by their spouse as ambivalent. These data are discussed in light of the importance of considering both positive and negative aspects of relationship quality and modeling the interdependence of close relationships.
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Caska CM, Smith TW, Renshaw KD, Allen SN, Uchino BN, Birmingham W, Carlisle M. Posttraumatic stress disorder and responses to couple conflict: Implications for cardiovascular risk. Health Psychol 2014; 33:1273-80. [DOI: 10.1037/hea0000133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Cribbet MR, Carlisle M, Cawthon RM, Uchino BN, Williams PG, Smith TW, Gunn HE, Light KC. Cellular aging and restorative processes: subjective sleep quality and duration moderate the association between age and telomere length in a sample of middle-aged and older adults. Sleep 2014; 37:65-70. [PMID: 24470696 DOI: 10.5665/sleep.3308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVES To examine whether subjective sleep quality and sleep duration moderate the association between age and telomere length (TL). DESIGN Participants completed a demographic and sleep quality questionnaire, followed by a blood draw. SETTING Social Neuroscience Laboratory. PARTICIPANTS One hundred fifty-four middle-aged to older adults (age 45-77 y) participated. Participants were excluded if they were on immunosuppressive treatment and/or had a disease with a clear immunologic (e.g., cancer) component. INTERVENTIONS N/A. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Subjective sleep quality and sleep duration were assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and TL was determined using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). There was a significant first-order negative association between age and TL. Age was also negatively associated with the self-reported sleep quality item and sleep duration component of the PSQI. A significant age × self-reported sleep quality interaction revealed that age was more strongly related to TL among poor sleepers, and that good sleep quality attenuated the association between age and TL. Moreover, adequate subjective sleep duration among older adults (i.e. greater than 7 h per night) was associated with TL comparable to that in middle-aged adults, whereas sleep duration was unrelated to TL for the middle-aged adults in our study. CONCLUSIONS The current study provides evidence for an association between sleep quality, sleep duration, and cellular aging. Among older adults, better subjective sleep quality was associated with the extent of cellular aging, suggesting that sleep duration and sleep quality may be added to a growing list of modifiable behaviors associated with the adverse effects of aging.
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Bowen KS, Uchino BN, Birmingham W, Carlisle M, Smith TW, Light KC. The stress-buffering effects of functional social support on ambulatory blood pressure. Health Psychol 2013; 33:1440-3. [PMID: 24245843 DOI: 10.1037/hea0000005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Social support is a reliable predictor of cardiovascular health. According to the buffering hypothesis, stress is 1 mechanism by which support is able to affect physiological processes. However, most of the experimental evidence for the hypothesis comes from laboratory studies. Ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) protocols examine participants in their natural environment, where they are more likely to encounter personally relevant real-world stressors. Furthermore, prior work shows that examining support by its specific functional components reveals additional independent links to health. METHODS The current study aimed to examine the stress-buffering effects of functional social support on ABP. One hundred eighty-eight participants completed a 1-day ABP assessment along with measures of functional social support and both global perceived stress and momentary stress at time of reading. RESULTS RESULTS indicated main effects for both stress measures. Global support, emotional, tangible, and informational support only moderated the effects of momentary stress, but not global stress, in predicting ABP. Informational support was the most consistent stress-buffering predictor of ABP, predicting both ambulatory systolic and diastolic blood pressure. CONCLUSIONS The predicted values in ABP for informational support achieved health-relevant differences, emphasizing the value of examining functional support beyond global support alone.
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Uchino BN, Smith TW, Carlisle M, Birmingham WC, Light KC. The quality of spouses' social networks contributes to each other's cardiovascular risk. PLoS One 2013; 8:e71881. [PMID: 23990999 PMCID: PMC3749188 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0071881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2013] [Accepted: 07/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Although the quality of one's own social relationships has been related to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, whether a partner's social network quality can similarly influence one's cardiovascular risk is unknown. In this study we tested whether the quality of a partner's social networks influenced one's own ambulatory blood pressure (ABP). METHODS The quality of 94 couples' social networks was determined using a comprehensive model of relationships that separates out social ties that are sources of positivity(supportive), negativity (aversive), and both positivity and negativity (ambivalent). We then utilized statistical models (actor-partner analyses) that allowed us to separate out the links between one's own social network quality on ABP (actor influences), a partner's social network quality on ABP (partner influences), and a couple's network quality combined on ABP (actor X partner interactions). RESULTS Independent of one's own relationship quality, results showed that an individual's ABP was lower if their spouse had more supportive ties, and higher if a spouse had more aversive and ambivalent ties. In addition, couples' networks in combination were associated with higher ABP but only if both had a low number of supportive ties, or a high number of aversive or ambivalent ties. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that the social ties of those we have close relationships with may influence our cardiovascular risk and opens new opportunities to capitalize on untapped social resources or to mitigate hidden sources of social strain.
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Bowen KS, Birmingham W, Uchino BN, Carlisle M, Smith TW, Light KC. Specific dimensions of perceived support and ambulatory blood pressure: which support functions appear most beneficial and for whom? Int J Psychophysiol 2013; 88:317-24. [PMID: 22465206 PMCID: PMC3432297 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2012.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2011] [Revised: 02/20/2012] [Accepted: 03/20/2012] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Perceived support has been related to lower cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, little is known about the specific functional components of support responsible for such links. We tested if emotional, informational, tangible, and belonging support predicted ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) and interpersonal interactions (e.g., responsiveness), and if such links were moderated by gender. In this study, 94 married couples underwent 12 h of ABP monitoring during daily life which included a night at home with their spouse. They completed a short-form of the interpersonal support evaluation list that provides information on total (global) support, as well as specific dimensions of support. Results revealed that global support scores did not predict ABP during daily life. However, separating out distinct support components revealed that emotional support was a significant predictor of lower ambulatory systolic and diastolic blood pressure, primarily for women. Finally, emotional support predicted greater partner responsiveness and self-disclosure, along with less perceived partner negativity although these results were not moderated by gender. These data are discussed in terms of the importance of considering specific support components and the contextual processes that might influence such links.
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Uchino BN, Bosch JA, Smith TW, Carlisle M, Birmingham W, Bowen KS, Light KC, Heaney J, O'Hartaigh B. Relationships and cardiovascular risk: Perceived spousal ambivalence in specific relationship contexts and its links to inflammation. Health Psychol 2013; 32:1067-75. [DOI: 10.1037/a0033515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Uchino BN, Cawthon RM, Smith TW, Light KC, McKenzie J, Carlisle M, Gunn H, Birmingham W, Bowen K. Social relationships and health: is feeling positive, negative, or both (ambivalent) about your social ties related to telomeres? Health Psychol 2012; 31:789-96. [PMID: 22229928 PMCID: PMC3378918 DOI: 10.1037/a0026836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The quality of one's personal relationships has been linked to morbidity and mortality across different diseases. As a result, it is important to examine more integrative mechanisms that might link relationships across diverse physical health outcomes. In this study, we examine associations between relationships and telomeres that predict general disease risk. These questions are pursued in the context of a more comprehensive model of relationships that highlights the importance of jointly considering positive and negative aspects of social ties. METHOD One hundred thirty-six individuals from a community sample (ages 48 to 77 years) completed the social relationships index, which allows a determination of relationships that differ in their positive and negative substrates (i.e., ambivalent, supportive, aversive, indifferent). Telomere length was determined from peripheral blood mononuclear cells via quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS Participants who had a higher number of ambivalent ties in their social networks evidenced shorter telomeres. These results were independent of other relationship types (e.g., supportive) and standard control variables (e.g., age, health behaviors, and medication use). Gender moderated the links between ambivalent ties and telomere length, with these associations seen primarily in women. Follow-up analyses revealed that the links between ambivalent ties and telomeres were primarily due to friendships, parents, and social acquaintances. CONCLUSION Consistent with epidemiological findings, these data highlight a novel and integrative biological mechanism by which social ties may affect health across diseases and further suggest the importance of incorporating positivity and negativity in the study of specific relationships and physical health.
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Sanbonmatsu DM, Uchino BN, Wong KK, Seo JY. Getting Along Better: The Role of Attitude Familiarity in Relationship Functioning. SOCIAL COGNITION 2012. [DOI: 10.1521/soco.2012.30.3.350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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