Social support as a buffer of anxiety: an experimental analogue

The anxiety-buffering role of social support was investigated using an experimental analogue. Undergraduate females (N = 75) were assigned to one of three conditions: tested alone, tested with a stranger, or tested with a friend. Subjects first completed the Perceived Social Support Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and a palmar sweat measure. They were then told that after a 5-min waiting period they would be asked to answer a number of personal questions while being videotaped. Subjects accompanied by a friend showed a smaller increase in state anxiety than the other two groups. There was no group difference on the palmar sweat measure. No significant relationship between perceived social support and changes in state anxiety was found.