Stressful social relations increase risk of early death — study

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LONDON (PNA/Xinhua) — Stressful social relations, shown as frequent arguments and conflicts with others or constant worries about families, could increase early death risk for middle-aged people, a study published on Friday revealed.

According to the paper published in British medical magazine Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, those who frequently experience stress in their relationships with partner, children, family, friends, colleagues or neighbors, are two to three times more likely to die prematurely, while men and those unemployed are most vulnerable.

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen studied data from 9,875 people between the ages of 36 and 52, and asked about their everyday social relationships. After 11 years, 196 women and 226 men had died, and most death were from cancer, heart disease, accident and suicide.

They found that, frequent worries or demands from partner or children were associated with 50-100 percent increased mortality risk. And frequent conflicts with any type of social relation were associated with 2-3 times increased mortality risk.

The study concluded that, stressful social relations are associated with increased mortality risk among the middle-aged for a variety of different social roles. Those outside the labor force and men seem especially vulnerable to exposure. (PNA/Xinhua)