Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 9, 2026
11:13
The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test
Published on: November 19, 2015
Social support: its structure and impact on marital disruption
American Journal of Community Psychology
|December 1, 1982
Summary
Social support from family, friends, and community aids adjustment to marital disruption. Specific aspects of social support can lessen the negative impact of separation stress on well-being.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
Background:
- Social support is theorized to influence adjustment to marital disruption.
- Previous research has lacked adequate conceptualization and measurement of social support's nature and availability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the structure and impact of social support on adjustment to marital disruption.
- To investigate how social support moderates the effects of stress during separation.
Main Methods:
- Interviewed 50 newly separated individuals at 2 and 8 months post-separation.
- Assessed sources of support (family, friends, community), social activity, and satisfaction with marital status.
Main Results:
- Identified key components of social support structure.
- Found that stress from separation correlated with poorer adjustment.
- Demonstrated that specific aspects of social support moderated the relationship between stress and adjustment.
Conclusions:
- Social support plays a crucial role in adapting to marital disruption.
- The study provides a more nuanced understanding of social support's structure and its moderating effects on stress during separation.
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