SOCIAL RELATIONS INTERPERSONAL RESOURCES AND HEALTH: TRUST EFFICACY AND FORGIVENESS

摘要

We examine the extent to which social relations influence health through interpersonal resources, specifically trust, efficacy and forgiveness. We hypothesize that social relations are an understudied influence of interpersonal resources which have a mediating effect on health. Data are from a probability sample of the Detroit metropolitan area of 1134 adult men and women (62% female), ages 18 to 94, including African Americans, Middle Eastern Americans and European Americans. Preliminary findings indicate that social network size, feelings of trust, efficacy, and forgiveness (with self, spouse, close others) are all positively associated. These variables, in turn, are positively associated with health. In this paper we examine how trust and efficacy mediate the associations between social relations, forgiveness and health. Additional analyses will examine these associations by race and ethnicity. Findings will be discussed from a life course perspective exploring how convoys of social relations influence interpersonal resources and health.