Abstract
Little is known about the health impact of helping behaviors among individuals with high-risk chronic diseases such as cardiovascular
disease (CVD). Using a nationally representative, longitudinal survey, we examined the subsequent health of adults with CVD
(n = 4,491) who spent time providing non-paid assistance to family and friends outside of their households compared with those
who had provided no assistance. After both adjusting for baseline characteristics and using propensity score matching methods,
spending up to 200 h over the prior 12 months helping others was associated with lower odds of experiencing a new CVD event
or dying in the subsequent 2 years. Providing up to 100 h of assistance was associated with reporting fewer depressive symptoms.
This threshold effect raises the question of whether assistance beyond a certain number of hours may impose a burden that
mitigates health benefits from helping others. Health care providers could play an important role exploring ways that patients
with CVD can provide beneficial levels of assistance to others in their own social networks or communities, thereby possibly
also improving their own health.
disease (CVD). Using a nationally representative, longitudinal survey, we examined the subsequent health of adults with CVD
(n = 4,491) who spent time providing non-paid assistance to family and friends outside of their households compared with those
who had provided no assistance. After both adjusting for baseline characteristics and using propensity score matching methods,
spending up to 200 h over the prior 12 months helping others was associated with lower odds of experiencing a new CVD event
or dying in the subsequent 2 years. Providing up to 100 h of assistance was associated with reporting fewer depressive symptoms.
This threshold effect raises the question of whether assistance beyond a certain number of hours may impose a burden that
mitigates health benefits from helping others. Health care providers could play an important role exploring ways that patients
with CVD can provide beneficial levels of assistance to others in their own social networks or communities, thereby possibly
also improving their own health.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-13
- DOI 10.1007/s10865-012-9414-4
- Authors
- Michele Heisler, VA Center for Clinical Management Research, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, PO Box 130170, Ann Arbor, MI 48113-0170, USA
- HwaJung Choi, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program, University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- John D. Piette, VA Center for Clinical Management Research, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, PO Box 130170, Ann Arbor, MI 48113-0170, USA
- AnnMarie Rosland, VA Center for Clinical Management Research, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, PO Box 130170, Ann Arbor, MI 48113-0170, USA
- Kenneth M. Langa, VA Center for Clinical Management Research, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, PO Box 130170, Ann Arbor, MI 48113-0170, USA
- Stephanie Brown, Stonybrook University School of Medicine, Stonybrook, NY, USA
- Journal Journal of Behavioral Medicine
- Online ISSN 1573-3521
- Print ISSN 0160-7715