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What Is Social Support? 193

and mental health (Ozbay et al. 2007 ). Indeed, social support
has been shown to enhance psychological well-being; which
may reduce the risk of unhealthy behaviours and poor physical
health (Uchino 2004 ). For instance, patients with poor social
support have high levels of anxiety and depression than those
with higher levels of social support (Oddone et al. 2011 ). Social
isolation and low levels of social support have been shown to
be associated with increased morbidity and mortality (Berkman
;
1995 Umberson and Montez 2010 ).
Although the influence of social support has been recog-
nised for many centuries, one of the first systematic studies
completed in the 1970s identified that the risk of mortality
was twice as high in those with fewer social ties (Berkman
and Syme 1979 ). Indeed, some research has suggested that
the effects of limited social support are more significant than
the effects of obesity, smoking or hypertension (Sapolsky
2004 ). Furthermore, research has indicated that low social
support may hinder the recovery of certain health conditions
such as cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, cancer or can-
cer recovery and even slow wound healing (Ertel et al. 2009 ;
;
Everson-Rose and Lewis 2005 Uchino 2006 ).
As well as this wound recurrences and poor healing rates
have been associated with patients having limited social sup-
port (Moffatt et al. 2006 ), with lower levels of social support
appearing to have a significant impact on the recurrence of a
leg ulcer (Finlayson et al. 2011 ; Wissing et al. 2001 ). Consequently,
social support may have a significant impact on patients’ heal-
ing, their psychological well-being and potentially costs for
health care providers. This chapter seeks to explore the influ-
ence of social support on well-being and health before moving
onto the converse: how can chronic wounds and their treatment
impact on family and friends of the individual patient?

What Is Social Support?

Social support can be defined as the existence of people on
whom we can rely, people who let us know that they care
about, value and love us, and the support they provide for us