Decreases possibility of death who were closer with their family members, but not friends read more at here www.spinonews.com/index.php/item/665-decreases-possibility-of-death-who-were-closer-with-their-family-members-but-not-friends

For older adults, having more or closer family members in one's social network decreases his or her likelihood of death.

James Iveniuk, the lead author of the study at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health, finds older individuals who had more family in their network, and who were closer with their family were less likely to die.

According to data from 2005-2006 and 2010-2011 survey waves of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP), to investigate which aspects of social networks are most important for postponing mortality.  Mortality of wave one respondents, who were 57 to 85-years old was assessed at wave two.

James Iveniuk, a senior biostatistician at the University of Chicago, found that older adults who reported feeling “extremely close” on average to the non-spousal family members had about a six percent risk of mortality within the next five years, compared to approximately a 14 percent risk of mortality among those who reported feeling “not very close” to the family members they listed.

Furthermore, the study found that, respondents who listed more non-spousal family members in their network, irrespective of closeness, had lower odds of death compared to those who listed fewer family members. But, the risk of death for older adults was not true of relationships with friends.

Besides comparing friendships to relationships with family members, the study examined the four factors most consistently associated with reduced mortality risk were being married, larger network size, greater participation in social organizations, and feeling closer to one's confidants. Factors found to be less important included time with confidants, access to social support, and feelings of loneliness.

Scientists observed no association between measures of support from the spouse and mortality, indicating that the presence of a marital bond may be more important for longevity than certain aspects of the bond itself.