Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 10, 2026
11:13
The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test
Published on: November 19, 2015
The other way around: does health predict perceived support?
Nina Knoll1, Nina Rieckmann, Rolf Kienle
1Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany. nina.knoll@charite.de
Anxiety, Stress, and Coping
|November 14, 2007
Summary
Predictors of perceived social support after cataract surgery include mental and physical health. Received support partially mediated the link between depressive symptoms and perceived support, indicating health impacts support perceptions.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Gerontology
- Psychology
Background:
- Cataract surgery impacts patients' quality of life.
- Social support is crucial for patient well-being post-surgery.
- Understanding predictors of social support can inform interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify predictors of perceived social support before and after cataract surgery.
- To examine the mediating role of received support.
- To investigate associations between physical/mental health and perceived support.
Main Methods:
- 136 cataract patients completed questionnaires pre- and post-surgery.
- Assessed physical health (comorbidity, visual acuity) and mental health (depressive symptoms).
- Analyzed relationships between health indicators, received support, and perceived support.
Main Results:
- Depressive symptoms were associated with perceived social support.
- Received support partially mediated the relationship between depressive symptoms and perceived support.
- Physical health (comorbidity, visual acuity) and mental health were directly linked to perceived support.
Conclusions:
- Health status, both physical and mental, influences perceived social support.
- Interventions should consider patients' overall health when addressing social support needs.
- Perceived social support may be a dynamic outcome influenced by health changes post-cataract surgery.
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