Can see from this graph that they have little impact – decreasing only a tiny amount the odds ratio for average or worse self perceived health.

We might expect that if family relations provided functional or financial support, they would decrease the negative impact of deprivation or unemployment on health. If family relations provide emotional support they might decrease the impact of control or deterioration in social position on health. However, there is no real evidence that they do either. So while good family relations appear to protect against poor health, we don’t know how.