@article {Cable166, author = {Noriko Cable and Mel Bartley and Tarani Chandola and Amanda Sacker}, title = {Friends are equally important to men and women, but family matters more for men{\textquoteright}s well-being}, volume = {67}, number = {2}, pages = {166--171}, year = {2013}, doi = {10.1136/jech-2012-201113}, publisher = {BMJ Publishing Group Ltd}, abstract = {Background People with larger social networks are known to have better well-being; however, little is known about (1) the association with socio-demographic factors that may predict the size and composition of social networks and (2) whether the association with well-being is independent of pre-existing psychological health or socio-demographic factors. Methods The authors used information collected from 3169 men and 3512 women who were born in Great Britain in 1958. First, age on leaving full-time education, partnership and employment status at age 42 were used to predict the size and composition of cohort members{\textquoteright} social networks at age 45 using ordered logistic regression. Second, using multiple linear regression, the associations between social network size by composition (relatives and friends) and psychological well-being at age 50 were assessed, adjusting for socio-demographic factors and psychological health at age 42. Results Not having a partner and staying in full-time education after age 16 was associated with a smaller kinship network in adults. Having a smaller friendship network at age 45 was associated with poorer psychological well-being among adults at age 50, over and above socio-demographic factors and previous psychological health. Additionally, having a smaller kinship network was associated with poorer psychological well-being among men. Conclusions Having a well-integrated friendship network is a source of psychological well-being among middle-aged adults, while kinship networks appear to be more important for men{\textquoteright}s well-being than for women{\textquoteright}s. These relationships are independent of education, material status and prior psychological health.}, issn = {0143-005X}, URL = {https://jech.bmj.com/content/67/2/166}, eprint = {https://jech.bmj.com/content/67/2/166.full.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Epidemiology \& Community Health} }