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Updated: Jun 27, 2025

The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test
Published on: November 19, 2015
Sources of Social Support and Trauma Recovery: Evidence for Bidirectional Associations from a Recently Trauma-Exposed
Lauren M Sippel1,2,3, Rachel E Liebman4,5,6, Sarah K Schäfer7,8
1Department of Veterans Affairs Northeast Program Evaluation Center, West Haven, CT 06516, USA.
Increased social support, particularly from friends, aids recovery from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Higher PTSD symptoms can also decrease social support over time, highlighting a bidirectional relationship.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Trauma Studies
- Mental Health Research
Background:
- The link between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and social support is established.
- Causal pathways and variations across support sources in acute recovery remain understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the bidirectional relationship between PTSD symptoms and social support.
- To examine how different sources of social support influence PTSD recovery over one year.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study with 151 trauma-exposed individuals assessed over one year.
- Random intercept cross-lagged panel modeling (RI-CLPM) used to analyze dynamic changes.
- Measures included PTSD severity and social support from partners, friends, and relatives.
Main Results:
- Higher social support accelerated PTSD symptom recovery.
- Elevated PTSD symptoms predicted decreased social support.
- Support from friends significantly aided PTSD recovery, while partner support showed a one-way negative impact from PTSD.
Conclusions:
- Confirms a dynamic, bidirectional link between PTSD and social support.
- Perceived social support from friends is crucial for trauma recovery.
- Interventions enhancing friend support may benefit PTSD recovery.
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