Social networks and health status of the unemployed

Results of a study of the relationship between social networks and the health status of the unemployed, which used data gathered in the National Survey of Personal Health Practices and Consequences, are described. The number of and contact with close friends and relatives were predictive of health status for unemployed people beyond what is attributable to demographic factors. The relationship among these factors for the unemployed was compared with that in the total population and in an employed population, and the factors were found to be significantly more important for the unemployed.