Is a problem shared a problem shaved? An evaluation of hairdressers and social support

Despite growing interest in social support as a moderator of stress, few studies have attempted to demonstrate the effects of a psychological intervention in this domain. Hairdressers are an acknowledged source of social support and a randomly selected group (n = 8) were given structured training in the provision of social support to their customers. In comparison with a group of their untrained colleagues (n = 7), repeated measures indicated a significant training effect in terms of the hairdressers' understanding and proficiency in providing social support, while a generalization effect was suggested by customers' ratings of their perceived 'helpfulness'.