TY - JOUR
T1 - Providing Social Support may be More Beneficial than Receiving It
T2 - Results from a Prospective Study of Mortality
AU - Brown, Stephanie L.
AU - Nesse, Randolph M.
AU - Vinokur, Amiram D.
AU - Smith, Dylan M.
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported in part by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health (P30-MH38330) and the National Institute for Aging (R01-AG15948-01A1). We would like to acknowledge Camille Wortman, Debra Carr, John Sonnega, Becky Utz, John Reich, and Michael Brown for their helpful comments on earlier drafts of this article. We would also like to express our appreciation to Camille Wortman, James House, Ronald Kessler, and Jim Lepowski, the original investigators of the Changing Lives of Older Couples Study.
PY - 2003/7
Y1 - 2003/7
N2 - This study examines the relative contributions of giving versus 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 providing instrumental support to friends, relatives, and neighbors, and individuals 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 understanding how social contact influences health and longevity.
AB - This study examines the relative contributions of giving versus 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 providing instrumental support to friends, relatives, and neighbors, and individuals 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 understanding how social contact influences health and longevity.
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U2 - 10.1111/1467-9280.14461
DO - 10.1111/1467-9280.14461
M3 - Article
C2 - 12807404
AN - SCOPUS:0141686898
SN - 0956-7976
VL - 14
SP - 320
EP - 327
JO - Psychological Science
JF - Psychological Science
IS - 4
ER -