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The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test
Published on: November 19, 2015
Caught by Connections: The Mediating Roles of Social and Community Support after Interpersonal Violence
Melanie D Hetzel-Riggin1, Kameron Landers2, Sinara Hinton2
1School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Penn State Behrend, Erie, PA, USA. mdh33@psu.edu.
Abstract:
The purpose of the present study was to examine the potential mediating roles of different sources of social support and sense of community on the relationship between interpersonal violence and mental health outcomes, negative posttraumatic cognitions, and posttraumatic growth. Participants (n = 459) completed an online survey. Interpersonal violence had a significant, direct effect on all posttraumatic outcomes. Support from significant others mediated the relationship between interpersonal violence and posttraumatic stress. Both support from family and a negative sense of community mediated the relationship between interpersonal violence and posttraumatic cognitions, while social support from friends and family and a positive sense of community mediated the relationship between interpersonal violence and posttraumatic growth. The results suggest that posttraumatic distress and growth may be impacted by different connection sources.
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