The health status of persons with stress in Canada: The role of individual network

The relationship between social network and health status is examined by utilizing public use data from the 2008 General Social Survey on social networks. The study examines the effect of various features of individual networks on health status. We use a resilience measure of health status which indicates the change of health status in five years (much worse to much better). A person’s network is operationalized by five items: size and strength of the network of relatives, size and strength of the friendship network, and the occupational composition of network. We observe associations between these network indicators and the respondent’s sense of their changed level of health compared to five years ago. In particular, the strength of the network of relatives reduces the magnitude of negative relationship between stress and the resilience measure. This study also finds that males are benefiting more from relative strength in gaining better health compared to females. This study shows us the five components of individual network have quite different functions and roles in our life. Further research is needed on the role of public and professional networks on social life and on dealing with the health consequences of stress.