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Social ties: subgroup differences in costs and benefits
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
|October 1, 1986
Summary
Social support can be both beneficial and stressful. Greater personal resources enhance positive social support effects, while lower resources increase distress from social ties, impacting psychological well-being.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Public Health
Background:
- Social ties offer both support and stress.
- Understanding subgroup differences in social support efficacy is crucial.
- Investigating the link between opposing effects of social ties is needed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the dual nature of social ties (supportive vs. stressful).
- To examine how personal resources moderate the effects of social support.
- To explain subgroup differences in social support's impact on psychological well-being.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from 314 women at a Boston health center.
- Utilized initial interview data from a larger study.
- Examined social support in response to stressful life events.
Main Results:
- Social support improved psychological well-being for women with high personal resources.
- Women with lower personal resources experienced more distress from others' life events.
- Interpersonal support and stress had independent effects on psychological well-being.
Conclusions:
- Personal resources significantly influence the benefits derived from social support.
- Lower personal resources amplify distress associated with social ties.
- Women with greater resources benefit more from social ties and experience less stress.