Families and Health: the Negative Side of Social Ties

Abstract Research on a range of illnesses has demonstrated a protective effect for social ties and social support, and has begun to address the potential mechanisms by which this effect is brought about. More recently, researchers examining the positive effects of social ties have also uncovered unexpected negative consequences. The supportive and non-supportive aspects of social relations are weakly correlated, indicating that both of these two domains of social experience need to be considered to understand the influence of family and other social ties on health. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate through selective examination of the literature how social support, particularly in the form of family ties, may increase risk for negative rather than positive health outcomes. In addition, we provide a framework for research to more fully elucidate this area.