Social resources and mental health: an empirical refinement

A factor analysis of the social resources measures included in the Older Americans Resources and Services instrument (Blazer, 1978) yielded four factors. These factors were labeled attachments, social interaction, social support, and adequacy of social resources. Of these, attachments and social interaction measures were found to have a very limited degree of association with mental health measures (self- and interviewer-rated mental health and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory). The overall rating of social resources and the perceived adequacy of social resources, however, had a higher degree of association with the mental health measures.