Do the stressors inherent in relationships with a partner, family or friends have any impact on a person’s risk of death? This is the question that a team of researchers from the University of Copenhagen (Denmark) wanted to answer.
For the study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health , the experts analyzed data from 9,875 men and women between the ages of 36 and 52 who were part of the Danish Longitudinal Study on Work, Health and Unemployment. All the participants were questioned about their social relationships in daily life, especially about the causes of their worries or conflicts and how often these situations arose. Participants were followed up from 2000 to 2011.
During this period 196 women and 226 men died . Almost half of the deaths were caused by cancer, while the rest were due to cardiovascular disease, stroke, accidents or suicide.
After analyzing factors such as gender, marital status, depressive symptoms, emotional support and social class, among other influencing elements, the researchers found that frequent worries with partners or children were linked to between 50 and 100% of increased risk of death . Moreover, frequent discussions or conflicts with partners, family, friends, and acquaintances doubled or even tripled the chances of death from any cause compared to participants who rarely argued.
“The ability to manage stress around social relationships, as well as conflict management in couples and families can be important to help curb premature deaths associated with stress, ” says Rikke Lund, author of the study.
