SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS, RECOVERY FROM ILLNESS, AND SURVIVAL - A LITERATURE-REVIEW

Do medical patients with a high quantity or quality of social relation ships have greater chances of recovery and survival than more isolated individuals? This article reviews longitudinal studies of social rela tionships and recovery published since the last major reviews of this field. Reports of 26 such projects were located, primarily in the area s of heart disease (13 studies) and breast cancer (7 studies). Being m arried (or socially supported in other ways) was generally associated with survival or freedom from recurrence in multiyear follow-up studie s of myocardial infarction (MI) and coronary artery disease patients, although social support produced negative or mixed results in studies of short-term physical adaptation after MI or bypass surgery. Studies relating marital status and other support variables to recurrence and survival in breast cancer patients also had mixed results. The small n umber of studies, and other limitations associated with them, suggest caution in drawing strong conclusions.