Social issues in teen years can hurt future health
Social interactions during adolescence can affect health many years into adulthood, according to research published June 27 in the open access journal PLoS ONE.
The authors of the study, led by Per E Gustafsson of Umeå University in Sweden, used data from a long-term study monitoring social relationships and health over 27 years, from age 16 to 43, for over 800 participants. The researchers found that problematic peer relationships in adolescence, as measured through teachers' assessments, were correlated with all components of metabolic syndrome, which is a cluster of metabolic and cardiovascular issues including obesity and high blood pressure, in middle age.
More information: Gustafsson PE, Janlert U, Theorell T, Westerlund H, Hammarstro¨m A (2012) Do Peer Relations in Adolescence Influence Health in Adulthood? Peer Problems in the School Setting and the Metabolic Syndrome in Middle-Age. PLoS ONE 7(6): e39385. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0039385
