Children's friendships strengthen health in the future

How do childhood friendships affect your health??

Did you have many childhood friends with whom you played frequently? If so, it could have strengthened your health. Researchers now found that time spent with friends in childhood seems to have a positive impact on human health.

Researchers at Texas Tech University and the University of Pittsburgh found in their research that time spent with friends in childhood has a positive effect on later-age health. The physicians published the results of their study in the English-language journal "Psychological Science".

Friendships during early childhood have a positive effect on our health in adulthood. (Image: lassedesignen / fotolia.com)

Physicians examine 257 male volunteers

Many previous studies have already suggested that close relationships in adulthood can promote physical health and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure. To find out if childhood relationships have the same effect on health, the researchers looked at a total of 257 boys at the age of six.

Parents of the participants were interviewed

The subjects were medically monitored until the age of 16 years. During the study, researchers also asked parents' parents about how much time their children spent with their friends during an average week. Physicians also collected data on the individual characteristics of the participants, such as socioeconomic status in childhood and physical health in childhood and adulthood.

What did the study yield??

After analyzing the data, the experts found that boys who spent more time with their childhood and adolescent friends had healthier blood pressure and a better body mass index (BMI) at the age of 32. In other words, sufferers rarely developed overweight and obesity. The findings remain valid after other factors, such as childhood physical health and adolescent social integration, explain the authors of the study.

Childhood friends have a positive effect on your health

The results of the investigation suggest that our early social life may have a (minor) protective impact on our physical health in adulthood, researchers say. This shows that not only our caregivers or financial circumstances, but also our friends can improve or protect their health, says psychologist and study author Jenny Cundiff of Texas Tech University.

The results are clear and reliable

Examinations carried out over a period of 16 years can not be explained by other potentially influencing factors. This strengthens confidence in the resilience of the results, adds the physician. The study was by no means just a simple experiment; it was a well-controlled longitudinal study in a diverse sample of participants.

Early integration into society is recommended

The findings suggest that early integration into society, regardless of a number of other factors - such as the person's personality, childhood weight, and family social status - has a positive impact on human health, Cundiff adds , (As)