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Updated: Jun 19, 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
Predicting social support for grieving persons: a theory of planned behavior perspective
1School of Psychology, Griffith University, Gold Coast PMB 50, Gold Coast Mail Centre, Gold Coast, Queensland 9726, Australia. d.bath@griffith.edu.au
Death Studies
|November 3, 2009
Summary
Social support is crucial for grieving individuals. This study found that beliefs about supporting someone and past behavior strongly predict the intention to help a bereaved person.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Social support is vital for coping with grief.
- Understanding factors influencing the intention to provide support is important.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify predictors of intention to support a grieving person.
- To apply the Theory of Planned Behavior framework.
Main Methods:
- Survey data collected from 160 university students.
- Analysis using the Theory of Planned Behavior framework.
Main Results:
- Behavioral, normative, and control beliefs, along with past behavior, significantly predicted intention.
- Behavioral beliefs were the strongest predictor, followed by control beliefs and past behavior.
Conclusions:
- The Theory of Planned Behavior effectively predicts the intention to support grieving individuals.
- Targeting behavioral and control beliefs may enhance support provision for the bereaved.
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