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Correlates of social support receipt
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
|July 1, 1987
Summary
Coping strategies are key to receiving social support during stressful times. How individuals cope influences the type and amount of emotional, tangible, and informational support they receive from their social network.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Health Psychology
Background:
- Stress and coping are significant factors in psychological well-being.
- Social support receipt plays a crucial role in mediating the effects of stress.
- Understanding the psychological correlates of social support is essential for intervention development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the psychological factors associated with receiving different types of social support.
- To investigate the relationship between coping strategies, appraisal patterns, person predispositions, and social support receipt.
- To explore the implications of these relationships for understanding stress and coping dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study involving 150 middle-aged community residents over 6 months.
- Monthly interviews assessing stressful situations, social support received, and coping methods.
- Assessment of person predispositions and appraisal patterns related to stressful encounters.
Main Results:
- Person predispositions were most strongly linked to emotional support.
- Appraisal factors were most strongly associated with tangible aid.
- Coping strategies were most strongly linked to informational support and showed the strongest overall association with all types of social support received.
Conclusions:
- The three types of social support (emotional, tangible, informational) are distinct constructs with different antecedents.
- Individual coping behaviors provide interpersonal cues that guide social support provision.
- Interventions should consider the interplay between coping mechanisms and social support networks in managing stress.