Social network, social support and acute chest complaints among young and middle-aged patients in an emergency department—A case-control study

The risk of developing non-specific chest complaints was higher among young and middle-aged persons with a weak social network and low social support, when comparing cases with controls at a hospital emergency department (ED). The study was comprised of 62 cases; two different control groups were recruited from other patients at the medical ED ( n = 67) and from patients at the surgical ED with urolithiasis or cholecystitis ( n = 31). Relative risks for non-specific chest complaints were 2.3-3.4 for patients with a low score on two of the social network factors (an overall index and social anchorage) and two social support factors (emotional esteem support and support by a confidant). These results could be used for developing guidelines for a more adequate clinical management of these patients, as well as for the prevention of stress-related conditions in general. An analysis was made of the conceptual validity of the instrument used for assessing social network and social support. It was concluded that structural elements, such as social network factors, represented a more valid measurement that was less affected by subjectivity. Future research is of importance for finding overbridging concepts, rather than to further continue the dissection of presently used indices into even more ‘specific’ variables.