Nicholas Christakis
Nicholas Christakis
Nicholas A. Christakisis an American sociologist and physician known for his research on social networks and on the socioeconomic and biosocial determinants of behavior, health, and longevity. He is the Sol Goldman Family Professor of Social and Natural Science at Yale University. He directs the Human Nature Lab, and he is the Co-Director of the Yale Institute for Network Science...
contribute harmful illness risk
It is the disablement and not the lethality of a spouse's illness that can be harmful to you and contribute to your risk of dying.
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Initially the partner is at increased risk from heart attack, suicide, and accidents. I am shocked my wife is sick and I stop paying attention when driving. And there is an increase in infections.
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Our work suggests that interventions might decrease the mortality of caregivers. Interventions are likely to be useful in certain diseases, such as stroke and dementia, and the timing of such interventions might be matched to the riskiest times for caregivers, for example, just after the hospitalization of the spouse.
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Because people are interconnected, we think this phenomenon we studied in elderly married couples applies more generally. We are looking at broader connections -- between parent and child, brother and sister, neighbors, and friends.
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These are a huge set of issues of fundamental social science interest that shed light on the workings of society.
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Over the first 30 days it can be almost as bad for you to have a sick spouse as a dead spouse.
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You can die of a broken heart not just when your partner dies but also when your partner falls ill.