SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Social Support”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1992

Perceived social support, social skills, and quality of relationships in bulimic women.

The impaired relationship between bulimics and their environment may be important factors in the onset and perpetuation of bulimia. This study explored specific aspects of the bulimic's social network and interpersonal relationships as well as individual difference variables that might mediate her ability to obtain support or perceive this as adequate. Ss were 21 bulimic women and 21 control Ss who completed self-report measures assessing perceived social support, the quality of relationships, social skills, and psychopathology. Bulimics reported less perceived support from friends and family, more negative interactions and conflict, and less social competence. Differences in negative interactions remained significant after controlling for overall psychopathology, and level of conflict was an important predictor of group membership. In addition, bulimics were rated as less socially effective by observers unaware of their group membership. Results highlight the need for further investigation of the quality and type of interactions in bulimic women's lives.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Widowhood in elderly women: exploring its relationship to community integration, hassles, stress, social support, and social support seeking.

This study examined the degree to which widows were integrated in their community, the daily hassles and stress they may have experienced, and their social networks and support-seeking behavior. A sample of 160 women, sixty years of age or older, eighty widows and eighty non-widows were interviewed. Half the sample participated in senior centers in Kansas City, Missouri, while the other half belonged to other organizations or were obtained through a truncated snowball technique. The findings indicated that widowhood in and of itself does not appear to be a predictor either of community integration or the lack of it or the experience of stress and hassles. Those who experienced hassles were not the same persons as those who experienced stress. It was surprising to find that those who sought social support did not seem most in need of it. Age and education, along with community integration, were better predictors of the variables studied than was widowhood.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1991

A two-year longitudinal study of stressful life events, social support, and social problem-solving skills: contributions to children's behavioral and academic adjustment.

We investigated the contributions of stressful life events and resources (social support and social problem-solving skills) to predicting changes in children's adjustment. At Time 1, 361 third through fifth graders completed measures of social support and social problem-solving skills. Their parents completed a stressful life events scale and a child behavior rating measure. The children's teachers provided ratings of behavioral and academic adjustment. 2-year follow-up data (Time 2) were obtained for approximately half of the sample on the same measures. Time 1 stressful life events and resources showed some significant but modest zero-order correlations with the Time 2 adjustment indices. Hierarchical multiple regressions revealed prospective effects for Time 1 social support on later teacher-rated competencies and grade-point average. In addition, increases over time in social support and social problem-solving skills (a composite score) were significantly related to improvement in behavioral and academic adjustment, whereas stressful life events were not predictive of adjustment.

Achievement↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Social support in social interaction: a moderator of cardiovascular reactivity.

This study examines the possibility that social support operates as a moderator of cardiovascular reactivity, which may be a factor in the development of heart disease and hypertension. An experiment was performed in which each of 40 subjects was the object of verbal attack in a discussion of a controversial issue. In each session, one subject and three confederates participated. Two of the confederates argued with the subject; in half the groups, a third confederate defended the subject's position (social support condition); in the other half, the third confederate sat quietly (no support condition). The subject's blood pressure and heart rate were continuously monitored. Subjects in the social support condition showed significantly smaller increases in cardiovascular measures than subjects in the no support condition. The results are discussed in terms of small group dynamics and Social Comparison Theory.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1991

Social support and social networks: their relationship to the successful and unsuccessful survival of elderly people in the community. An analysis of concepts and a review of the evidence.

Many studies suggest that there is a relationship between social support and physical and psychological health status, risk of institutionalization and mortality of the elderly. Although longitudinal analyses confirm these suggestions, all studies experience problems with network methodology, and none use comparable operational or working definitions. It is known that there is an effect between these variables, but the nature of the relationship is still unknown. This paper reviews existing research on social networks, social support and associations with health status, mortality and risk of institutionalization.

Aged↗

PubMed1991

[Relevance of the duration of depression for the social network and social support].

The lack of supportive social ties seems to play an important role in the etiology and maintenance of depression. As a review of related studies shows two important facts have almost been neglected: On the one hand the assessment of social resources are affected by depressive distortion of perception, on the other hand a longer lasting depression is likely to have a special impact on social network and social support. The following study shows distinct differences between individuals with primary (E; n = 25) and longer-lasting depression (L; n = 25) and controls (KG; n = 25) in the size but in the structure of their social network and social support, too. Besides, the elimination of the distortion of the data for the depressive bias was aspired.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

CHESS: a computer-based system for providing information, referrals, decision support and social support to people facing medical and other health-related crises.

CHESS (the Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System) is an interactive, computer-based system to support people facing health-related crises or concerns. CHESS provides information, referral to service providers, support in making tough decisions and networking to experts and others facing the same concerns. CHESS will improve access to health and human services for people who would otherwise face psychological, social, economic or geographic barriers to receiving services. CHESS has developed programs in five specific topic areas: Academic Crisis, Adult Children of Alcoholics, AIDS/HIV Infection, Breast Cancer and Sexual Assault. The lessons learned, and the structures developed, will serve as a model for future implementation of CHESS programs in a broad range of other topic areas. CHESS is designed around three major desired outcomes: 1) improving the emotional health status of users; 2) increasing the cost-effective use of health and human services; and 3) reducing the incidence of risk-taking behaviors that can lead to injury or illness. Pilot-testing and initial analysis of controlled evaluation data has shown that CHESS is extensively used, is useful and easy-to-use, and produces positive emotional outcomes. Further evaluation in continuing.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed1979

Social support and social adjustment: implications for mental health professionals.

The general importance of an individual's support network has been recognized in the field of community mental health; yet a more detailed understanding of how a client's available social ties may contribute to his or her adjustment is presently lacking. This study used network analysis to examine differences in the social networks of mental health clients to identify factors associated with positive social adjustment. Subjects were selected from three different types of mental health programs as well as from the general population of Marion County, Oregon. Results generally revealed that subjects from the community sample more often would look to immediate family members for support. Better functioning chronic clients emphasized professional contacts, whereas more poorly adjusted chronic clients would look to friends for support. The results have implications both for understanding the nature of the support available to a client and mobilizing the support resources of the existing network of relationships to aid adjustment to community living.

Adult↗

PubMed1979

Social support and the social environment of depressed and normal women.

A brief self-report measure of social support was administered initially to a student population, and then to a sample of hospitalized depressed women. Comparison of the responses of the 32 patients with 35 student women of similar age showed no differences between the groups in number of cohabitants or of casual friends, or in faith in the value of talking over one's problems. Patients were more likely than controls to report having no or few confidants, nobody confiding in them, and little confidence in being liked by others. Training in social skills specific to fostering intimacy is suggested as a therapeutic step, and modifications to the social support measure for future use discussed.

Adjustment Disorders↗

PubMed1992

Social support and stress: the role of social comparison and social exchange processes.

This paper first presents four different conceptualizations of social support: social integration, satisfying relationships, perceived helpfulness and enacted support. Then, classic and contemporary social comparison theory and social exchange theory are analysed as they are two theoretical perspectives that are particularly useful in understanding social support. These perspectives are employed to explain three seemingly paradoxical phenomena in the domain of social support: (1) the fact that support sometimes has negative effects; (2) the fact that the occurrence of stress itself can sometimes decrease the availability of support resources; and (3) the phenomenon that people believe that they give more support than they receive, and that there is more support available for them than for others.

Female↗

PubMed1992

The quality and quantity of social support: stroke recovery as psycho-social transition.

The impact of various types and amounts of social support is examined in the context of recovery from first stroke. We conceptualize the rehabilitation process as a psychosocial transition. In a longitudinal design, 44 patients were followed for 6 months following first stroke. Growth-curve analysis (repeated measures MANOVA) was utilized to examine the impact of three types of social support on changes in functional status during recovery. While all three types of support (emotional, instrumental and informational) were shown to be significantly related to recovery of functional capacity, substantial differences were found in the nature of those effects. The impact of social support does not appear during the first month of rehabilitation, indicating the importance of longitudinal designs and longer observation. Patients reporting high level of emotional support showed dramatic improvement despite having the lowest baseline functional status. Instrumental support is most closely related to positive outcomes when provided in moderate amounts. Unlike the other two types, the effect of informational support is mediated by disease severity.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1992

Social relationships and health: the relative roles of family functioning and social support.

The associations between social relationships and health have been examined using two major research traditions. Using a social epidemiological approach, much research has shown the beneficial effect of social supports on health and health behaviors. Family interaction research, which has grown out of a more clinical tradition, has shown the complex effects of family functioning on health, particularly mental health. No studies have examined the relative power of these two approaches in explicating the connections between social relationships and health. We hypothesized that social relationships (social support and family functioning) would exert direct and indirect (through depressive symptoms) effects on health behaviors. We also hypothesized that the effects of social relationships on health would be more powerfully explicated by family functioning than by social support. We mailed a pilot survey to a random sample of patients attending a family practice center, including questions on depressive symptoms, cardiovascular health behaviors, demographics, social support using the ISEL scale, and family functioning using the FEICS scale. FEICS is a self-report questionnaire designed to assess family emotional involvement and criticism, the media elements of family expressed emotion. Eighty-three useable responses were obtained. Regression analyses and structural modelling showed both direct and indirect statistically significant paths from social relationships to health behaviors. Family criticism was directly associated (standardized coefficient = 0.29) with depressive symptoms, and family emotional involvement was directly associated with both depressive symptoms (coefficient = 0.35) and healthy cardiovascular behaviors (coefficient = 0.32). The results support the primacy of family functioning factors in understanding the associations among social relationships, mental health, and health behaviors. The contrasting relationships between emotional involvement and depressive symptoms on the one hand and emotional involvement and health behaviors on the other suggest the need for a more complex model to understand the connections between social relationships and health.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

The moderating impact of social support following childhood sexual abuse.

The role of social support in moderating the impact of childhood sexual abuse on adult psychological adjustment was examined. Subjects included 475 women, age 18-45, some of whom were currently receiving treatment, others who were not. Women in the treatment group were receiving therapy for either alcoholism, for being battered, or for mental health problems. The comparison group was drawn from two sources: a random household sample and a sample of women attending drinking driver classes. Among both groups, women who had been sexually abused exhibited more psychological symptoms and lower self-esteem compared to those who were not abused. Latency of disclosure of childhood sexual abuse had no impact on long-term consequences of the abuse for either the treatment or the comparison group. However, among women in the comparison group, those who experienced supportive reactions following disclosure of sexual abuse had fewer psychological symptoms and somewhat higher self-esteem relative to those who did not receive support. Social support had no apparent effect on the long-term adjustment of women in the treatment group. Possible explanations for this pattern and directions for future research are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1992

Social support and quality of life of community support clients.

Two aspects of social support, availability and adequacy, were assessed for 729 severely mentally ill adults enrolled in seven state-supported Community Support Services (CSS) programs as part of repeated questionnaire surveys nine months apart. Perceived quality of life interviews with the clients were also conducted at both times. These interviews included the Bradburn Positive and Negative Affect Scales and the Satisfaction with Life Domains Scale (SLDS). Availability of social support was significantly correlated with positive affect over time, but not with negative affect at either point. Inadequacy of social support was significantly related to negative affect at both assessments. Both availability and adequacy of social support were significantly related to the SLDS at each time. Change in satisfaction with life domains was found to be related to both availability and, to a lesser degree, with adequacy of social support.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

Age and the operationalization of social support.

In most studies social network is operationalized without any consideration of age. But it is to be expected that both the prevalence and the impact on health of the various sources of social support change through life. If this is true, then the use of a global index may lead to distorted results regarding age changes of the social network. In a cross-sectional study of 1500 occupationally active, Danish men aged 16-74, the hypothesized age dependencies were studied with health operationalized as psychological well-being and social support divided into support from wife, children, family and friends. The prevalence of support from the wife increased with age, whereas her impact on health was only significantly positive in the age range 30-49. Support from family and friends was most prevalent among the youngest, but it had a positive impact on health both among the young and the old. The results regarding impact on health are corroborated by two other studies on mortality. These findings point to methodological errors that may distort results when global network measures are used irrespective of the ages of the participants studied.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

Additional evidence for the relationship between Type A behavior and social support in men.

This study examined social support as a mediator of susceptibility to coronary disease in Type A individuals. Sixty-four male subjects completed the Jenkins Activity Survey and the Sarason Social Support Questionnaire. The correlations between Type A scores, the speed and impatience and hard-driving competitiveness factors of the Jenkins survey, and Sarason's social support were found to be negative, which was contrary to earlier findings. The authors hypothesize that these differing results may be a function of age and environment. Finally, and pertinent to the mechanism by which social support may be associated with coronary heart disease, systolic blood pressure was negatively correlated to satisfaction with social support.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Social conflict, social support, and psychological distress: evidence of cross-domain buffering effects.

A longitudinal study examined the relative and joint effects of perceived social support and social conflict on psychological distress in 228 college students. Women had higher perceived social support from roommates and friends and less conflict with roommates than did men; there were no gender differences in level of conflict with friends or psychological distress. Roommate conflict predicted increases in psychological distress over time; this effect was attenuated by high levels of perceived social support from friends. Friend conflict also predicted increases in psychological distress over time; this effect was attenuated by high levels of perceived social support from roommates. These results show the importance of negative and positive aspects of social experiences to emotional functioning and the importance of compensatory social support for individuals facing social conflicts.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1992

Age-related changes in cardiovascular response as a function of a chronic stressor and social support.

The effects of aging, chronic stress, and social support on cardiovascular functioning were examined using a cross-sectional design. Thirty-six family caregivers of Alzheimer's disease victims and 34 control Ss performed 2 active coping tasks while continuous noninvasive measures of cardiovascular activity were monitored. Results revealed that caregivers high in social support displayed typical age-related decreases in heart-rate reactivity, whereas caregivers low in social support displayed age-related increases in heart-rate reactivity. Analyses further indicated that only Ss with low social support were characterized by age-related increases in systolic blood pressure. These results suggest that social support can moderate age-related changes in cardiovascular functioning, particularly in Ss exposed to a chronic stressor.

Adult↗