Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 24, 2026

The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test
Published on: November 19, 2015
Parental physical activity: exploring the role of social support
Kyra Hamilton1, Katherine M White
1School of Psychology and Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, Victoria Park Road, Queensland, 4059, Australia. k2.hamilton@qut.edu.au
Objectives:
To explore the influence of social support on parental physical activity (PA).
Methods:
Forty parents (21 mothers, 19 fathers) participated in semistructured individual or group interviews. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis.
Results:
Instrumental (eg, providing child care, taking over chores), emotional (eg, encouragement, companionship), and informational support (eg, ideas and advice) as well as reciprocal support (eg, giving as well as receiving support) and autonomy support (eg, respecting one's choices) are important for parents' PA behavior. However, having support for being active is not straightforward in that many parents discussed issues that inhibited the facilitative nature of social support for PA performance (eg, guilt in getting help).
Conclusions:
Results highlight the complex nature of social support in facilitating parental PA.
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