How can cognitive/emotional concepts such as lack of social support and loneness leads to physical changes what are there mechanisms

How can cognitive/emotional concepts such as lack of social support and loneness leads to physical changes What are there mechanisms

Lack of Social Support And Loneliness Leads to Physical Challenges David a type 2 diabetes patient who is also experiencing loneliness following the passing away of his wife is said to experience various challenges. Arguably, the key challenge David is due to experience include lack of social support and loneliness, which have been linked physical changes. As research would have it, humans rely on each other for their survival and as indicated by various studies, most respondents rate family, as well as friends as the most vital factor towards realizing happiness. According to these studies, the lack of social connections does not only lead to emotional discomfort, but it also has a damaging impact on the physical, as well as the mental health of an individual. This clearly implies that most people require social contact and whenever it is not provided as expected, they tend to be subjected to long lasting suffering. Certainly, it is undisputed fact that David’s condition makes him a victim of such experiences. With his condition, David who is subjected to loneliness is at risk of experiencing a relapse. Given that type 2 diabetes is among the lifelong diseases, David who is suffering from this condition is bound to encounter various health risks. According to House (2001) there is a close association between health risks and the social isolation and they compare quite closely in magnitude to well-known dangers of diabetes. According to Brummett et al (2001), persons who frequently suffering from lifelong disease such as cancer, diabetes, report feelings of loneliness and lack social connections and end up with increased rates of mortality and morbidity. Other studies carried out by Cohen et al (1997), and Pressman et al (2005), show that persons lacking social connections suffer from infections, cognitive decline, as well as depression. However, when it is compared to the health behaviour including obesity and smoking, there is little known concerning why and how social isolation impacts on health (House, 1988).
In conclusion, David who is suffering from a chronic disease often known to have wide range social isolation indicators that pose health risks, is bound to physical challenges.
References
Brummett et al. 2001. Characteristics of Socially Isolated Patients with Coronary Artery Disease Who are at Elevated Risk for Mortality. Psychosomatic Medicine. 63: 267–272.
Cohen et al. 1997. Social Ties and Susceptibility to the Common Cold. Journal of the American Medical Association. 277: 1940–44.
House S., 1988; Social Disconnectedness, Perceived Isolation, and Health among Older Adults. London: Oxford Publishers.
Pressman et al. 2005. Loneliness, Social Network Size, and Immune Response to Influenza Vacci-nation in College Freshmen. Health Psychology. 24: 297–306.