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Social Support: A Review
Abstract
Social support, which is the perception or experience that one is cared for, esteemed, and part of a mutually supportive social network, has beneficial effects on mental and physical health. We review the psychobiological pathways whereby these effects may occur and detail the circumstances under which socially supportive efforts may misfire. Origins of social support include genetic factors and the early environment. We examine gender and cultural differences in how social support is experienced. Under some circumstances, providing social support confers the same benefits as receiving it. A myriad number of social support interventions, including those delivered via the internet, have been evaluated and have the potential to provide emotional and informational support to people who might otherwise lack social support.
... Social support can be defined as the "perception or experience that one is cared for, esteemed, and part of a mutually supportive social network, [that] has beneficial effects on mental and physical health" [4]. Typically, it is categorized into one of four domains: Emotional, Instrumental/Physical, Informational, and Appraisal/Companionship [4][5][6]. ...
... Social support can be defined as the "perception or experience that one is cared for, esteemed, and part of a mutually supportive social network, [that] has beneficial effects on mental and physical health" [4]. Typically, it is categorized into one of four domains: Emotional, Instrumental/Physical, Informational, and Appraisal/Companionship [4][5][6]. Emotional support normally refers to feelings of gratitude, love, and trust, which are exchanged between individuals. Instrumental or physical support usually denotes 'tangible aid', such as material or monetary services, while Informational support includes 'intangible aid', like guidance or suggestions. ...
... From both perspectives, two broad mechanisms are theorized to connect social support to mortality: direct effects and buffering [5,9,10]. The direct effects' hypothesis highlights the continuous protective benefits that social relationships provide during both stressful, and non-stressful times [4]. On the other hand, the buffering hypothesis argues that social support primarily mediates negative health effects during times of more intense mental or physical anxiety, and offers little, if any, value during non-stressful times [4]. ...
The mechanisms connecting various types of social support to mortality have been well-studied in high-income countries. However, less is known about how these relationships function in different socioeconomic contexts. We examined how four domains of social support—emotional, physical, financial, and informational—impact mortality within a sample of older adults living in a rural and resource-constrained setting. Using baseline survey and longitudinal mortality data from HAALSI, we assessed how social support affects mortality in a cohort of 5059 individuals aged 40 years or older in rural Mpumalanga, South Africa. Social support was captured as the self-reported frequency with which close social contacts offered emotional, physical, financial, and informational support to respondents, standardized across the sample to increase interpretability. We used Cox proportional hazard models to evaluate how each support type affected mortality controlling for potential confounders, and assessed potential effect-modification by age and sex. Each of the four support domains had small positive associations with mortality, ranging from a hazard ratio per standard deviation of support of 1.04 [95% CI: 0.95,1.13] for financial support to 1.09 [95% CI: 0.99,1.18] for informational support. Associations were often stronger for females and younger individuals. We find baseline social support to be positively associated with mortality in rural South Africa. Possible explanations include that insufficient social support is not a strong driver of mortality risk in this setting, or that social support does not reach some necessary threshold to buffer against mortality. Additionally, it is possible that the social support measure did not capture more relevant aspects of support, or that our social support measures captured prior morbidity that attracted support before the study began. We highlight approaches to evaluate some of these hypotheses in future research.
... 26 The mediating role of social support Social support can be defined as "the perception and experience that one is cared for, esteemed, and part of the mutually supportive social network." 27 It encompassed the comfort, assistance, and reassurance provided by partners, relatives, friends, coworkers, or community ties. 27,28 As a multi-dimensional concept, social support can be categorized into different dimensions in various contexts, 29 the most common categorizations included instrumental support (such as material aid or practical assistance), informational support (such as advice and information provision), and emotional support (such as encouragement and reassurance). ...
... 27 It encompassed the comfort, assistance, and reassurance provided by partners, relatives, friends, coworkers, or community ties. 27,28 As a multi-dimensional concept, social support can be categorized into different dimensions in various contexts, 29 the most common categorizations included instrumental support (such as material aid or practical assistance), informational support (such as advice and information provision), and emotional support (such as encouragement and reassurance). 30,31 The social support in this study included all three of these dimensions simultaneously. ...
Objective
Adolescents face various health challenges due to academic pressures and sedentary lifestyles. Establishing healthy habits during this critical period is essential for long-term well-being. With the widespread use of fitness apps, understanding their impact on adolescent health behaviors and the underlying mechanisms is crucial. Guided by social support theory and social comparison theory, this study examined the influence of WeRun, a fitness app within WeChat, on adolescents’ adoption of healthy lifestyles. It investigated the correlation between WeRun usage and healthy behaviors, as well as the underlying mechanisms driving this relationship.
Methods
A cross-sectional survey was conducted across 31 provinces and metropolitans in China, utilizing a random cluster sampling approach targeting high school and freshman students aged 15–24 (N = 1312). A parallel mediation model was employed to test the hypotheses.
Results
The analysis showed that WeRun use positively predicted both social support and social comparison. Meanwhile, both social support and social comparison were positively associated with healthy lifestyles. Additionally, WeRun use could not directly predict healthy lifestyles. However, WeRun use indirectly predicted healthy lifestyles via social support and social comparison.
Conclusions
The study's findings revealed the pivotal roles of social support and social comparison as mediating variables in the relationship between adolescents’ WeRun usage and adoption of healthy lifestyles. The results contributed to the current comprehension of the mechanisms linking app utilization to health-promoting behaviors. Furthermore, it provided valuable insights for promoting adolescent health and informed improved design strategies for fitness apps.
... Other research indicates that social connections are associated with a lower likelihood of sexual violence perpetration (O'Connor et al., 2023). One way social connections have been conceptualized is as perceived social support (Holt-Lunstad, 2021) which is defined as the perception that one is cared for by others and part of a mutually supportive social network (Taylor, 2011) and is associated with a lower risk of both dating and sexual violence perpetration Rodrigues et al., 2023;Valido et al., 2021). In addition to a broad sense of social support, neighborhood social support, as well as parental support and a positive maternal relationship, are linked to a lower risk for the perpetration of dating and sexual violence (Valido et al., 2021). ...
... Workplace connections are particularly relevant to consider in society currently, given that widespread shifts to remote work since COVID-19 began have led to substantial increases in isolation and social disconnection (Brown & Leite, 2023). Although strategies aimed at enhancing social connectedness in the workplace are not specific to changing sexual violence-related attitudes, they still have the potential to protect against such attitudes while benefiting well-being outcomes (Holt-Lunstad, 2021), given the widespread benefits of social support on health and well-being (Taylor, 2011). ...
Endorsing problematic sexual violence-related attitudes including rape myth acceptance (RMA), hostile sexism, and disapproval of sexual consent is associated with negative outcomes, including the perpetration of sexual violence. This study examined social connections as a protective factor for sexual violence-related attitudes among a sample of 770 participants. Results indicate that in the full sample, connections to a workplace were protective for RMA and hostile sexism while family connections were protective for disapproval of sexual consent, RMA, and hostile sexism. Patterns of other social connections differed in separate models for men and women. Unexpected findings indicating that connections to a religious social group are a risk, not a protective, factor are discussed.
... Social support, consistent with extensive evidence (Taylor, 2011;Chen, 2017a), has been identified as a crucial protective factor. In addition to the findings by Li et al., Barbalat et al., Qing et al., and Zeng et al., Shi reported that college students with higher levels of social support experienced lower levels of depression and anxiety. ...
... In the context of AI acceptance, social support factors play a key role in shaping users' perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors, particularly in educational environments [23]- [25]. Social support in education has been primarily delivered through human interactions-teachers, peers, and mentors providing guidance and assistance [26], [27]. The emergence of AI introduces a paradigm shift, where technology becomes an integral part of the support system. ...
This study investigates factors influencing the acceptance of artificial intelligence (AI) in education, focusing on attitudes and intentions toward its use. Drawing on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Social Support Theory (SST), the research examines perceived usefulness, ease of use, and support measures, including educational and emotional support. The study was conducted at King Saud University, where it adopted a quantitative approach, collecting data from 350 participants through a structured survey. A final sample of 308 valid responses was analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The findings revealed significant relationships between key constructs: perceived educational support positively influenced perceived usefulness (β = 0.160, p = 0.000) and attitudes toward AI (β = 0.140, p = 0.010). Perceived usefulness (β = 0.670, p = 0.000) and ease of use (β = 0.330, p = 0.000) were strong predictors of positive attitudes, which, in turn, significantly shaped intentions to use AI (β = 0.760, p = 0.000). Emotional support and cognitive support also had notable but mixed effects on perceived usefulness. However, social interaction support and perceived enjoyment did not demonstrate significant influence. These findings highlight the importance of designing AI systems that emphasise usability and provide robust educational and emotional support to enhance acceptance. The study contributes to theory by extending TAM with constructs from SST, offering new insights into AI adoption in academic contexts. Practically, the results guide policymakers and developers in fostering AI acceptance by addressing educational and emotional needs, ensuring effective implementation in higher education.
... Seeking social support was positively associated with personal growth, underscoring the role of social ties in enhancing psychological well-being (PWB). This connection highlights how social support facilitates personal development and stress management (Cohen & Wills, 1985;Lambert et al., 2023;Taylor, 2011). Research shows that individuals with greater social support experience higher levels of personal growth initiative (Cai & Lian, 2022). ...
Background: Retirement challenges can significantly impact retirees’ well-being.
Purpose: This study investigated retirees’ psychological well-being (PWB) and ways of coping (WOC) during retirement.
Methods: A cross-sectional study of 341 retirees was conducted using systematic random sampling. Standardized questionnaires evaluated PWB and WOC. Data were analyzed using ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and linear regression in SPSS-26.
Results: Fewer than half the retirees reached the target range for PWB (82.1 ± 10.3) and WOC (94.2± 20.8). Males reported higher PWB scores than females, particularly in autonomy, environmental mastery, and self-acceptance. Oil industry retirees scored higher on PWB than education sector retirees, with notable differences in autonomy and self-acceptance. Higher education and financial stability were linked to better WOC and PWB. Specifically, seniors with higher incomes reported more effective WOC and those with higher education levels demonstrated a stronger use of problem-focused coping. Sub-constructs of PWB and WOC were significantly correlated, with escape avoidance negatively impacting self-acceptance and life purpose.
Discussion: The low levels of PWB and WOC among retirees emphasize the need for tailored interventions. Health professionals should develop customized programs addressing the specific needs of different demographic groups to improve mental health outcomes.
Translation to Health Education Practice: Considering socio-economic and demographic variables is crucial when developing mental health interventions for retirees.
... Social space covers communication and social interaction for different purposes in physical and virtual settings. For example, social support, such as advice and help, can come from various sources, including coworkers, supervisors, customers, family, and friends (Taylor, 2011) both face-to-face and online. People may have the option to work in solitude, doing remote work alone or in person with others, online or offline, asynchronously or synchronously, and at the main workplace or any other location. ...
Introduction: This article reviews the discussion concerning hybrid work (HW) during and after the pandemic. We argue that understanding hybrid work as simply dividing working time between an office and another location limits the potential of organizing work sustainably based on organizations' goals and employee needs. Understanding the core nature of hybridity as a flexible and systemic entity and a “combination of two or more things” impacting work outcomes such as wellbeing and performance opens a much richer view of organizing work now and in the future. The critical questions are: What is the core nature of hybridity when two or more things are combined in work, and what factors influence configuring them? Moreover, what are their potential wellbeing and performance outcomes?
Methods: To discover core elements, we reviewed how the HW concept was defined in consulting companies' publications, business journals, and international organizations' publications, mainly focusing on challenges and opportunities for hybrid work during COVID-19. We also analyzed how the concept was used in European questionnaire findings from 27 EU countries during the pandemic. The potential wellbeing and performance outcomes were studied using a sample of prior literature reviews on remote and telework. To identify “Two or more things” in the discussions, we broke down the HW concepts into the physical, virtual, social, and temporal work elements and their sub-elements and designable features.
Results: We found that the concepts used in the discussions on hybrid work reflect traditional views of remote and telework as a combination of working at home and in the office.
Discussion: We suggest configuring hybrid work as a flexible entity, which opens a perspective to design and implement diverse types of hybrid work that are much more prosperous and sustainable than just combining onsite and offsite work. The expected wellbeing and performance outcomes can be controversial due to the misfit of the hybrid work elements with the organizational purpose, employee needs and expectations, and non-observed contextual factors in implementations.
... More broadly, the approach opens the door to a wider range of feasible and cost-effective preventative and restorative policy and practice interventions that are urgently needed, especially in low-resourced regions that are often most vulnerable to climate change [87][88][89] . For instance, building and strengthening community resilience, such as peer support groups, community centers, and helplines can provide individuals with information, material resources and referrals to specialized mental health services-while also improving wellbeing 90,91 . Additionally, many effective methods for supporting mental health can be fostered without professional intervention. ...
... Following the need for this shift, research has sought to understand the health benefits of social support among Black Americans [28][29][30][31][32][33]. Social support (i.e., one's perception and experience with being cared for and being socially integrated) has been established as a significant contributor to health and wellbeing [34][35][36][37][38][39]. Research has found that social support can be influential in the relationship between SES and health concerns across the lifespan [40]. ...
Objectives
Socioeconomic status has a pervasive influence on one’s health and quality of life. Social support is known as a factor that can minimize the risk of maladaptive health outcomes while promoting greater quality of life. The purpose of this study was to examine the direct and indirect relationships between perceived socioeconomic status, social support, physical quality of life, and psychological quality of life among Black adults.
Methods
Participants were 304 (118 men, 186 women) adults who identified as African American or Black. Ages ranged from 18 to 75 (Mage = 37.62 years, SD = 12.39 years) and completed a battery of self-report questionnaires on perceived socioeconomic status, social support, physical quality of life, and psychological quality of life.
Results
Structural equation modeling analyses demonstrated that perceived socioeconomic status is associated with greater social support, physical quality of life, and psychological quality of life. Perceived socioeconomic status was also associated with higher physical quality of life and psychological quality of life indirectly through more social support.
Conclusions
These findings provide evidence that perceived socioeconomic status is directly associated with greater quality of life in Black adults. Social support acts as a partial mediator in the relationship between socioeconomic status and quality of life. This research brings to attention the influence that socioeconomic status and social support have on the quality of life of Black adults. These factors are of particular importance when considering social determinants of health in Black communities.
... Social space covers communication and social interaction for different purposes in physical and virtual settings. For example, social support, such as advice and help, can come from various sources, including coworkers, supervisors, customers, family, and friends (Taylor, 2011) both face-to-face and online. People may have the option to work in solitude, doing remote work alone or in person with others, online or offline, asynchronously or synchronously, and at the main workplace or any other location. ...
This article reviews the discussion concerning hybrid work (HW) during and after the pandemic. We argue that understanding hybrid work as simply dividing working time between an o�ce and another location limits the potential of organizing work sustainably based on organizations’ goals and employee needs. Understanding the core nature of hybridity as a flexible and systemic entity and a “combination of two or more things” impacting work outcomes such as wellbeing and performance opens a much richer view of organizing work now and in the future. The critical questions are: What is the core nature of hybridity when two or more things are combined in work, and what factors influence configuring them? Moreover, what are their potential wellbeing and performance outcomes? To discover core elements, we reviewed how the HW concept was defined in consulting companies’ publications, business journals, and international organizations’ publications, mainly focusing on challenges and opportunities for hybrid work during COVID-19. We also analyzed how the concept was used in European questionnaire findings from 27 EU countries during the pandemic. The potential wellbeing and performance outcomes were studied using a sample of prior literature reviews on remote and telework. To identify “Two or more things” in the discussions, we broke down the HW concepts into the physical, virtual, social, and temporal work elements and their
sub-elements and designable features. We found that the concepts used in the discussions on hybrid work reflect traditional views of remote and telework as a combination of working at home and in the o�ce. Discussion: We suggest configuring hybrid work as a flexible entity, which opens a perspective to design and implement diverse types of hybrid work that are much more prosperous and sustainable than just combining onsite and offsite work.
... As a component of social capital, social support has been identified as an important factor in managing health issues (Brashers et al., 2004). It operates through several major mechanisms, such as instrumental, emotional, informational, and appraisal aid (Gottlieb and Bergen, 2010;Taylor, 2011;Thoits, 1995). The social support perspective mainly examines the quality and content of personal social ties rather than the structure of ties and defines them as attributes of resources available to individuals (House et al., 1988). ...
Type 1 diabetes is an invisible disability requiringmajor life changes and constant
monitoring. It can become particularly challenging to control during a major
life transition. This study examines the composition and nature of the social
networks of college students living with type 1 diabetes. A total of 17 respondents
with type 1 diabetes and 18–25 years of age participated in network interviews.
Network Canvas facilitated online data collection. The results show that efforts
to protect the wellbeing of college students with T1D require active participation
of university organizations and certain individuals from students’ formal and
informal connections. Such connections define students’ support networks
in college and provide access to social capital. Practical implications and
recommendations for university leadership and students’ parents are discussed.
... Bu anlamıyla sosyal destek, bireyin sosyal ağında bulunan kişilerden gelmektedir (Tardy, 1985). Yine karşılıklı yardımlaşma ve sorumluluk ilişkisi perspektifinde kurulan aile, akraba, arkadaş ve iş arkadaşlığı gibi ilişkilerden beslenmekte ve sosyal bir ağın parçası olduğuna dair fikir, algı ve pratikler temelinde gelişmektedir (Davidson ve Demaray, 2007;Dean ve Lin, 1977;Sorias, 1988;Taylor, 2011). Bu yönüyle güçlü sosyal destek çoğu kez güçlü sosyal ağların bir ürünü olarak kendini gösterebilmektedir (Turner, 1999). ...
Bu çalışmanın amacı, ergen bireylerde algılanan sosyal desteğin akran zorbalığı mağduriyeti etkisinde boyun eğici davranışların aracı bir rol oynayıp oynamadığını anlamaktır. Araştırmada ilişkisel tarama deseni kullanılmış ve bu amaç doğrultusunda basit bir aracılık modeli oluşturulmuştur. Anket, Batman ilinde ikamet eden 14-18 yaş aralığındaki ergen bireylere uygulanmış ve toplam 546 anket üzerinden analiz yapılmıştır. Analiz sonuçlarına göre algılanan sosyal destek, boyun eğici davranış (r = -0.217, p < 0.01) ve akran zorbalığı mağduriyeti (r = -0.194, p < 0.01) ile negatif bir korelasyon göstermiştir. Aynı şekilde boyun eğici davranışın, akran zorbalığı mağduriyeti ile pozitif yönde (r = 0.300, p < 0.01) ilişkili olduğu belirlenmiştir. Algılanan sosyal desteğin akran zorbalığı mağduriyeti üzerindeki etkisinde boyun eğici davranışların aracılık etkisi incelendiğinde standartlaştırılmış dolaylı etkinin anlamlı olduğu görülmüştür (β = -0.059, p < 0.01). Sonuç olarak elde edilen veriler perspektifinde algılanan sosyal desteğin akran zorbalığı mağduriyeti üzerindeki etkisinde boyun eğici davranışların aracı rol oynadığı ortaya çıkmıştır.
... Evidence suggests that individuals with strong social networks are more resilient to stress and better equipped to manage the emotional challenges posed by chronic illness (10). Moreover, social support has been shown to have a moderating effect on the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and psychological distress, potentially diminishing the intensity of the emotional suffering experienced by those with high anxiety sensitivity (11). The stress-buffering hypothesis posits that social support can reduce the psychological impact of stressful experiences, making it an essential factor in the mental health management of hypertensive patients (12). ...
Background: Hypertensive patients often experience psychological distress, which may be worsened by anxiety sensitivity. Social support may mitigate this effect.Objective: To evaluate the impact of anxiety sensitivity on psychological distress in hypertensive patients, with social support as a moderating factor.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 hypertensive patients recruited from hospitals in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Validated scales were used to measure anxiety sensitivity, psychological distress, and social support. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25, employing Pearson’s correlation and moderation analysis via the PROCESS macro. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize demographic variables.Results: Anxiety sensitivity was positively correlated with psychological distress (r = 0.87, p < 0.05), and negatively correlated with social support (r = -0.53, p < 0.05). Social support moderated the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and psychological distress (β = -0.232, p = 0.039), explaining 78.3% of the variance in distress levels (R² = 0.783).Conclusion: Anxiety sensitivity significantly exacerbates psychological distress in hypertensive patients. Social support plays a crucial role in reducing this impact, suggesting that enhancing social support in therapeutic interventions may improve mental health outcomes.
... Social support One version of the intervention prompted users to engage in social support which is thought to buffer against the negative effects of stress [26,27]. This effect is present in occupational settings, with several studies indicating that social support plays an important role in preventing burnout among nurses [28,29]. ...
Background
Work-related stress is detrimental to individual health and incurs substantial social costs. Interventions to tackle this problem are urgently needed, with mHealth solutions being a promising way of delivering accessible and standardized interventions on a wide scale. This study pilot tests a low-intensive mHealth intervention designed to mitigate the negative consequences of stress through promoting recovery strategies.
Methods
Nursing school students ( N = 16) used the intervention for a month. Data were collected immediately before, immediately after, and one month after the end of the intervention. Additionally, intensive longitudinal data were collected daily during the time of the intervention. Primary outcome measures include recruitment and retention rates, engagement with and acceptability of the intervention, as well as evaluating the quality of measurement instruments.
Results
Recruitment and retention rates provide a benchmark that we need to invite 10–12 times the intended target sample size. Engagement and acceptability metrics are promising overall, showing key areas that need to be adapted to improve the intervention. Measurement quality is acceptable with instruments mostly functioning as intended.
Conclusion
Results show that the intervention and study protocol are feasible for conducting a randomized controlled trial given a few adjustments. The randomization algorithm needs to match the sample size in order to allocate evenly distributed experimental groups. Acceptability of the intervention may be improved through adapting the recommended recovery strategies. Some additional outcome measures are suggested to provide a more comprehensive picture of intervention effects.
Trial registration
NCT06228495. Registered retrospectively 01/10/2024.
... Social space covers communication and social interaction for different purposes in physical and virtual settings. For example, social support, such as advice and help, can come from various sources, including coworkers, supervisors, customers, family, and friends (Taylor, 2011) both face-to-face and online. People may have the option to work in solitude, doing remote work alone or in person with others, online or offline, asynchronously or synchronously, and at the main workplace or any other location. ...
Introduction
This article reviews the discussion concerning hybrid work (HW) during and after the pandemic. We argue that understanding hybrid work as simply dividing working time between an office and another location limits the potential of organizing work sustainably based on organizations' goals and employee needs. Understanding the core nature of hybridity as a flexible and systemic entity and a “combination of two or more things” impacting work outcomes such as wellbeing and performance opens a much richer view of organizing work now and in the future. The critical questions are: What is the core nature of hybridity when two or more things are combined in work, and what factors influence configuring them? Moreover, what are their potential wellbeing and performance outcomes?
Methods
To discover core elements, we reviewed how the HW concept was defined in consulting companies' publications, business journals, and international organizations' publications, mainly focusing on challenges and opportunities for hybrid work during COVID-19. We also analyzed how the concept was used in European questionnaire findings from 27 EU countries during the pandemic. The potential wellbeing and performance outcomes were studied using a sample of prior literature reviews on remote and telework. To identify “Two or more things” in the discussions, we broke down the HW concepts into the physical, virtual, social, and temporal work elements and their sub-elements and designable features.
Results
We found that the concepts used in the discussions on hybrid work reflect traditional views of remote and telework as a combination of working at home and in the office.
Discussion
We suggest configuring hybrid work as a flexible entity, which opens a perspective to design and implement diverse types of hybrid work that are much more prosperous and sustainable than just combining onsite and offsite work. The expected wellbeing and performance outcomes can be controversial due to the misfit of the hybrid work elements with the organizational purpose, employee needs and expectations, and non-observed contextual factors in implementations.
... To help explain this, researchers have found that persons protected from bad consequences originating from negative events are those who have a network of helpers. Indeed, positive social support has beneficial effects on mental and physical health both in stressful and non-stressful conditions, and it buffers the negative effects of certain events [30]. In particular, it has been shown that emotional support is the most beneficial type of support and the most powerful predictor of reduced psychological distress [16]. ...
Social support is the gratification of basic social needs (affection, belonging, esteem or approval, security, identity) through interaction with others. Social support at school allows students to perceive themselves as competent during learning and to enjoy school in general. Little is known about social support at school for students with sensory disabilities. This review aims to synthesize findings from studies examining social support at school for students with hearing and visual impairments. A search of computerized databases was supplemented by a manual search of the bibliographies of the main publications. The synthesis of the literature suggests that all students need adequate support devices in class and properly trained support teachers. However, visually impaired students are more likely to have access to resources compared to those with hearing impairments. Students with visual impairments attending regular schools are more positive about the availability of resources than those with hearing impairments attending special schools. Overall, senior secondary school students indicate higher resource availability than junior secondary school ones. Still, very few studies have investigated social support for students with sensory disabilities. Thus, further research is needed to confirm these results.
... The buffering hypothesis explains why students under stress are more social (Taylor, 2012). This hypothesis proposes that social connections provide emotional support, practical assistance, and a sense of belonging that help mitigate the adverse effects of stress (Santini et al., 2015). ...
The rapid development of technology is making it faster and more accessible for people worldwide to communicate and socialize. However, exposure to and use of online social media can harm well-being and psychosocial development, including mental health. This study investigates the relationship between perceived stress and digital well-being with social connectedness as a mediator variable. The research participants were recruited by convenience sampling, including 242 students and 100 workers. The regression analysis shows that the study's result implies that stress as a determinant of mental health has a mixed impact on overall digital well-being based on an individual's social connectedness. The findings of this study indicate potential long-term benefits or drawbacks in the debate regarding the use of digital media and technology in stressful situations for active users of digital media and technology, particularly among students.
Purpose
This study investigates the prevalence of elder abuse and its ramifications for older individuals living in Chinese households. It explores the mediating role of social support and the moderating influence of self-rated physical health on the relationship between elder abuse and depressive symptoms.
Methods
Data from 7,111 older adults in the 2018 China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS) were analyzed. Elder abuse was categorized into psychological abuse, physical abuse, financial exploitation, and neglect. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the revised Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Analytical methods included multiple linear regression, propensity score matching, and mediation analysis.
Results
Elder abuse prevalence was 5.54% (n = 394), with neglect (64.47%) and emotional abuse (47.97%) most common. Differences in abuse prevalence were associated with gender, living arrangements, and self-rated health. Elder abuse was positively associated with depressive symptoms (β = 1.103, p < 0.001). Objective social support reduced depressive symptoms (β = -0.044, p < 0.001), while perceived social support unexpectedly increased them (β = 0.824, p < 0.001). Better self-rated health moderated the negative impact of abuse. Mediation analysis confirmed perceived social support partially explained the elder abuse–depressive symptoms link.
Conclusions
The research demonstrates that elder abuse has a negative effect on the mental health of Chinese home-dwelling older adults. Hence, families and communities should provide more emotional support to this population group. This would not only benefit the health of older adults but also foster intergenerational harmony and contribute to the development of stronger familial bonds.
Objective:
In this study, we examine social support and sense of belonging as protective factors against depression and anxiety among undergraduates with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), a growing population at heightened risk for mental health problems.
Participants:
Our sample of 170 undergraduates (ages 18-25) attending a large public university in the southwestern US was comprised of predominantly female-identified (69%), South Asian (45%), junior and senior (78%), full time (97%) students.
Methods:
Students self-reported ACEs, perceived social support, sense of school belonging, and depression and anxiety symptoms in fall 2022.
Results:
Controlling for age, higher ACEs and lower social support and belonging predicted more severe depression and anxiety. Higher ACEs only significantly predicted higher depression severity when support and belonging were low. Interactions predicting anxiety were nonsignificant.
Conclusions:
Findings highlight social support and belonging as potential intervention targets for reducing mental health risk among students with ACEs or other traumatic experiences.
Women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) juggle between their feminine and professional identity goals. The present research views these struggles from the perspective of identity goal pursuits. Women in STEM may use different, sometimes even symbolic, ways to strive for the two identity goals, for example, by wearing outfits that reflect femininity, their profession, or both. In two studies, we tested to what extent these two goals overlap (are seen as similar) and whether the higher overlap between feminine and STEM professional identity goals is related to the preference for outfits that may serve two goals at the same time or only one of them. In Study 1 ( N = 232), we found that willingness to wear an outfit serving both identity goals was positively related to the participant's identity goal overlap. Study 2 ( N = 226) showed that overlap was related to the evaluation of the chosen outfits. Participants evaluating the chosen outfits as more multifinal reported higher overlap between the two identity goals.
Asexual and aromantic spectrum identities (ASPEC) experience stigma and invisibility and are at risk of worse mental health outcomes. Healthcare providers lack knowledge on the topic of asex-uality and aromanticism, resulting in intentional or unintentional discriminations. The present study explores the interactions of ASPEC people with healthcare providers. We used Codebook Thematic Analysis, a qualitative methodology based on an online questionnaire completed by 284 ASPEC people. The six resulting themes ranged from Manifest aggression to Microaffirmation. Participants' experiences highlight that clinical settings are often unsupportive spaces, exposing them to greater vulnerability and pointing to the lack of training for professionals.
Background
The construction industry, known for its high-risk environment, increasingly acknowledges the psychological risks to workers. Despite well-documented physical hazards, mental health challenges within this workforce have garnered attention. This systematic review provides a scholarly synthesis of literature on psychological risks and their causative factors affecting construction workers, adhering to PRISMA protocols.
Methods
An exhaustive literature search was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar using relevant keywords. Rigorous screening of selected studies focused on the psychological aspects of construction work, with systematic data extraction and analysis.
Findings
From 1992 to 2022, 68 studies met inclusion criteria, identifying key psychological harm factors: job insecurity, long working hours, high demands, poor work-life balance, and workplace bullying. A lack of mental health support and awareness in the sector was noted, with a significant correlation between these factors and increased stress, anxiety, and depression levels among workers.
Conclusions
The review highlights the urgent need for industry recognition of psychological hazards and the relationship between work conditions and mental health issues. It calls for supportive policies, awareness programs, and counseling services, with a suggestion for future longitudinal research on the long-term impacts and intervention efficacy.
Application to Practice
This study provides an overview of psychological risks in the construction sector from 1994 to 2022, aiming to identify causative factors for mental health issues. It seeks to pave the way for targeted interventions and policy changes to improve mental health outcomes in the industry.
Iklim universiti merujuk persepsi yang dikongsi bersama berkaitan dengan polisi, amalan, dan prosedur dalam persekitaran sesebuah universiti. Iklim universiti mempunyai pengaruh yang signifikan terhadap hasil pembelajaran dan tingkah laku pelajar, namun, kesan secara serentak masih lagi dikaji secara berasingan. Objektif utama kajian ini adalah untuk mengkaji peranan iklim universiti terhadap prestasi belajar dan tingkah laku prososial melalui sokongan belajar, semangat belajar, dan motivasi prososial. Kajian ini menggunakan pendekatan kuantitatif diari pelbagai tahap dan dianalisis menggunakan perisian Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) versi 8.0. Data dikumpul daripada 76 pelajar Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (76 responden * 2 minggu * 3 hari = 456 data diari) dengan enam set soal selidik diari yang telah dilengkapkan dalam tempoh dua minggu. Analisis menunjukkan iklim universiti mempunyai hubungan yang signifikan dengan sokongan belajar harian manakala sokongan belajar harian mempunyai hubungan yang signifikan dengan semangat belajar harian serta motivasi prososial harian. Dalam kaitannya dengan analisis penengah, hasil kajian juga mendapati bahawa terdapat hubungan yang signifikan antara iklim universiti dengan semangat belajar harian dan juga antara iklim universiti dengan motivasi prososial harian melalui sokongan belajar harian. Tambahan lagi, semangat belajar harian menjadi penengah hubungan antara sokongan belajar harian dengan prestasi belajar harian manakala motivasi prososial harian menjadi penengah hubungan antara sokongan belajar harian dengan tingkah laku prososial harian. Secara keseluruhannya, dapatan kajian menunjukkan peranan iklim universiti yang sangat penting sebagai faktor penentu bukan sahaja terhadap peningkatan prestasi belajar, tetapi juga turut menyumbang kepada tingkah laku prososial.
Background: In urban areas where environmental challenges and socio-economic disparities are prevalent, such as Ota, Nigeria, the complex interplay between environmental justice perceptions, environmental engagement, and well-being presents significant challenges. These issues are exacerbated by inadequate social support systems and gender disparities, making it difficult to address environmental injustices effectively and improve the overall well-being of residents.
Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional survey design, involving a total of 324 participants, aged 18-65 years (mean age = 43; SD = 16.79). were recruited using a stratified random sampling technique. Data were collected using the Scales of Psychological Well-Being (SPWB); Environmental Justice Perception Scale (EJPS); Olabisi Onabanjo University Attitude Toward Environmental Engagement Scale (OOUATEES); and the multidimensional scale of perceived social support (MSPSS) descriptive and Pearson correlation matrix and analysed using hierarchical regression models.
Results: The findings indicated that better perceptions of environmental justice are associated with higher levels of general well-being [β = .25, t = 4.66, p <.00]. Engagement in pro-environmental behaviours was also positively linked to improved well-being [β = .16, t = 2.99, p <.00]. Environmental engagement significantly moderated the relationship between environmental justice perceptions and general well-being, amplifying the positive effects (β= .25, t= 4.66, p < .01). However, social support and gender did not significantly moderate these relationships, suggesting that the primary influences of environmental justice (β= .26, t= 4.83, p < .01) and environmental engagement (β= .19, t= 3.82, p < .01) are robust enough to overshadow the moderating roles of these variables.
Conclusion: The study highlights the critical role of environmental justice perceptions and pro-environmental engagement in enhancing general well-being among residents of Ota. While social support and gender are important factors in well-being, their moderating effects may be less pronounced in environments with strong predictors like environmental justice and engagement. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions that promote environmental fairness and active engagement in environmental activities to improve overall well-being.
Social support is widely beneficial for individuals suffering from mental health disorders. Preliminary work suggests that it is influential in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but no studies have investigated the importance of social support as it relates to readiness to change (RTC, a relevant variable in treatment-seeking populations. The present study aimed to investigate this relationship as well as broadly characterize support-seeking experiences in those with OCD. Results indicated that, on average, participants with OCD have positive experiences of sharing their symptoms, that others tend to react well to such sharing, and sharing tends to positively affect one's relationship to their diagnosis. We further found that subjective experience of sharing symptoms and internalized stigma moderately predicts RTC. This study suggests nonprofessional social support may be a practical and impactful adjunct to OCD treatment by influencing motivation to change, though future work is needed to validate this pilot study.
The ability to remember future actions (prospective memory) is an important determinant of daily functioning in older adults. While social wellbeing is associated with better cognitive function generally, it is unknown how social wellbeing affects, and is affected by, prospective memory. Using a two-wave longitudinal design, we investigated the relationship between prospective memory and social wellbeing over 3 years. Data come from the first two waves of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging ( n = 23,609, age: 45–86), collected between 2011–2018. Event-based and time-based prospective memory were measured using a standardized laboratory task, and social wellbeing was operationalized as self-reported social support and social participation. We used latent change score modeling to evaluate longitudinal associations between prospective memory and social wellbeing. There was a positive bidirectional relationship with higher baseline social support predicting better prospective memory, and vice-versa. However, no similar relationship was observed for social participation. Time-based and event-based prospective memory did not differ in their association with social wellbeing. Social support may buffer stress and promote a richer, mentally stimulating environment, thereby improving prospective memory. Conversely, better prospective memory may increase social support, for example, by reducing the risk of memory lapses interfering with supportive relationships (e.g., forgetting appointments).
Because claiming discrimination is not always taken seriously, marginalized groups may consider cues about whom to trust in providing support and solidarity. Black, Hispanic, and Asian participants (Study 1; N = 931) and women (Study 2; N = 1,207) from the United States imagined someone made a discriminatory comment to them and rated the likelihood of being supported by an individual who varied in identity and past solidarity-related behavior. Participants anticipated more support from their own racial/ethnic group for racism and from women for sexism, and then anticipated support by the following groups: Black > Hispanic > Asian ≥ White and women > men. Past behavior boosted anticipated support, especially from outgroups. Strikingly, we found solidarity imbalances; groups consistently anticipated that Black people would support them, yet Black people anticipated lower support from racial/ethnic outgroups.
We tested whether targets receiving high (vs. low) social support would be expected to experience less emotional and physical pain because higher social support is expected to work as a buffer against pain. Participants (n = 330) were assigned to one of six conditions (social support: high vs. low vs. control × target gender: male vs. female). Participants estimated the emotional (but not physical) pain of targets receiving high social support to be lower than that of those receiving low social support. A test of a serial mediation model (i.e., social support → target impression → expected buffering effect → pain estimation) revealed that participants rated high social support targets’ impression more positively, which predicted expectation of a larger emotional/physical buffering effect, which in turn was associated with estimation of lower emotional/physical pain.
ภูมิหลังและวัตถุแระสงค์: ภาวะหมดไฟในการเรียนเป็นปัญหาสำคัญที่ส่งผลเสียต่อผลลัพธ์ทางการเรียนรู้ของนักศึกษาและนำไปสู่ปัญหาการลาออกกลางคันของนักศึกษา การวิจัยครั้งนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์การวิจัยดังนี้ 1) เพื่อวิเคราะห์ระดับภาวะหมดไฟในการเรียนของนักศึกษาระดับปริญญาตรี 2) เพื่อเปรียบเทียบความแตกต่างของภาวะหมดไฟในการเรียนของนักศึกษาระดับปริญญาตรีจำแนกตามภูมิหลัง และ 3) เพื่อวิเคราะห์อิทธิพลของการสนับสนุนทางสังคมและความเครียดในการเรียนที่ส่งผลต่อภาวะหมดไฟในการเรียนของนักศึกษาระดับปริญญาตรี ระเบียบวิธีการวิจัย: ผู้วิจัยเก็บรวมข้อมูลกับนักศึกษาระดับปริญญาตรี คณะศึกษาศาสตร์ มหาวิทยาลัยรามคำแหง จำนวน 281 คน ซึ่งได้มาจากการสุ่มตัวอย่างแบบแบ่งชั้น ผู้วิจัยเก็บรวบรวมข้อมูลโดยใช้แบบสอบถามและวิเคราะห์ข้อมูลโดยใช้สถิติบรรยาย การวิเคราะห์ความแปรปรวนแบบทางเดียว การวิเคราะห์ความแปรปรวนพหุนามแบบทางเดียว และการวิเคราะห์ถดถอยเชิงพหุ ผลการวิจัย: สรุปได้ดังนี้ (1) ภาวะหมดไฟในการเรียนของนักศึกษาอยู่ในระดับน้อย (M = 2.08, SD = 0.66) เมื่อพิจารณาองค์ประกอบของภาวะหมดไฟในการเรียนพบว่า ความเหนื่อยล้าทางอารมณ์ของนักศึกษาอยู่ในระดับปานกลาง (M = 2.51, SD = 0.86) รองลงมาคือ การรับรู้ว่าตนเองด้อยความสามารถ (M = 2.07, SD = 0.58) และทัศนคติเชิงลบต่อการเรียนของนักศึกษา (M = 1.74, SD = 0.59) (2) นักศึกษาที่มีอายุ 17-23 ปีมีภาวะหมดไฟในการเรียนสูงกว่านักศึกษาที่มีอายุ 45 ปีขึ้นไปอย่างมีนัยสำคัญทางสถิติที่ระดับ .05 นักศึกษาที่มีเกรดเฉลี่ยต่ำกว่า 2.00 มีภาวะหมดไฟในการเรียนสูงกว่านักศึกษาที่มีเกรดเฉลี่ย 2.51-3.00, 3.01-3.50 และ 3.51-4.00 อย่างมีนัยสำคัญทางสถิติที่ระดับ .05 นักศึกษาที่มีเกรดเฉลี่ย 2.00-2.50 มีภาวะหมดไฟในการเรียนสูงกว่านักศึกษาที่มีเกรดเฉลี่ย 2.51-3.00 และ 3.01-3.50 อย่างมีนัยสำคัญทางสถิติที่ระดับ .05 นักศึกษาที่มีสถานภาพโสดมีภาวะหมดไฟในการเรียนสูงกว่านักศึกษาที่มีสถานภาพแต่งงานอย่างมีนัยสำคัญทางสถิติที่ระดับ .05 นักศึกษาที่อยู่ในระดับชั้นปีต่างกันมีความเหนื่อยล้าทางอารมณ์แตกต่างกันอย่างมีนัยสำคัญทางสถิติที่ระดับ .05 (3) ตัวแปรความเครียดในการเรียนสามารถอธิบายความแปรปรวนของภาวะหมดไฟในการเรียนได้ร้อยละ 45.00 (R2 = .450) ตัวแปรความเครียดในการเรียนมีความสัมพันธ์ทางบวกและสามารถทำนายภาวะหมดไฟในการเรียนได้อย่างมีนัยสำคัญทางสถิติที่ระดับ .05 ในขณะที่ตัวแปรการสนับสนุนทางสังคมสามารถทำนายภาวะหมดไฟในการเรียนได้อย่างไม่มีนัยสำคัญทางสถิติที่ระดับ .05 สรุปผล: ผลการศึกษาพบว่าความเหนื่อยล้าทางอารมณ์เป็นสาเหตุที่พบบ่อยที่สุดของความเหนื่อยหน่ายทางวิชาการโดยรวมในระดับต่ำของนักเรียน ความเครียดทางวิชาการเป็นตัวทำนายที่สำคัญของความเหนื่อยหน่ายทางวิชาการ โดยคิดเป็น 45% ของความแปรปรวน นักเรียนที่อายุน้อยกว่า ผู้ที่มีเกรดเฉลี่ยต่ำกว่า และนักเรียนโสด ต่างก็ประสบปัญหาความเหนื่อยหน่ายทางวิชาการในระดับที่สูงขึ้นเช่นกัน
Negative mental health outcomes are prevalent among veterans exposed to military‐related stressors and are associated with social isolation. Limited research exists on resilience following military separation and its impact on social isolation in veterans. We examined resilience against military‐related stressors and 2‐year longitudinal associations with social isolation indicators; gender differences were also explored. U.S. military veterans ( N = 351, 70.4% men) who deployed to the wars in and around Iraq and Afghanistan following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks (9/11) were recruited as part of a longitudinal assessment study examining predictors of postdeployment adjustment. Using a residualization approach, resilience was approximated as low stressor reactivity (SR), calculated by regressing mental health onto military‐related stressor exposure. Military‐related stressors were significantly associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to both events during post‐9/11 deployment (deployment event) and outside of post‐9/11 deployment (other event), functional disability, and depression. After correcting for multiple comparisons, only SR derived from depressive symptoms predicted more closeness difficulties in social relationships longitudinally, B = 0.50, q = .023. Women also demonstrated higher SR than men regarding other event‐related PTSD symptoms, B = −0.52, q < .001; functional disability, B = −0.28, q = .028; and depression, B = −0.34, q = .012. Results suggest that veterans with higher depressogenic reactivity to military‐related stressors were more likely to endorse discomfort with closeness than those with lower depressogenic reactivity. Women veterans may also be more impacted by nondeployment traumatic distress, psychosocial dysfunction, and depression in response to military‐related stressors.
Children from disadvantaged families are at greater risk of developing regulation difficulties. Research suggests that family-level resources such as parental education or income are related to self-regulation development. However, most studies looking at the role of family resources have used single estimators of socioeconomic status or applied a composite score, neglecting that an interplay of resources may affect self-regulation outcomes. In N = 248 at-risk children (Mage:65.7 months, 51% female), we examined the effect of economic, cultural, and social family resources on behavioral self-regulation in kindergarten. Results showed that family income, maternal education, and available help in child-rearing predicted the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task performance. The results indicate that behavioral self-regulation is associated with different family resources beyond socioeconomic status.
Theory-based physical activity (PA) interventions include PA promotion strategies that can be delivered by exercise professionals, friends, family and peers. Peer-delivery presents a valuable opportunity for community implementation. Few peer-led PA interventions for people living with and beyond cancer (LWBC) report the feasibility of their peer mentor training methods. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a peer mentor training program to deliver a behavioural PA intervention to inactive people LWBC using a mixed methods approach. Peer mentors (active people LWBC [≥90 min/week of PA]) participated in an online training program. Weeks 1 to 4 (Phase I) included knowledge and skill development (1-hour online module and 2-hour live workshop weekly). The Assessment phase (Phase II) explored peer mentor readiness (≥80% on a knowledge quiz and ≥3/5 points [Satisfactory] on a mock role play). Feasibility was assessed using enrollment rates, retention rates, adherence, and semi-structured interviews. Acceptability was measured using a satisfaction questionnaire assessing level of agreement with several statements about training program components. Peer mentors ( N = 14; Mage = 65.4 ± 10.7 years) were diagnosed with primarily prostate (57.1%) or breast (21.4%) cancer. Enrollment and retention rates were 73.7% and 92.9%, respectively. Workshops and online modules had 100% and 87.5% adherence rates, respectively. Majority of peer mentors met readiness criteria for the knowledge quiz (92.3%) and mock role play (84.6%) on their first attempt, with 92.3% delivering the follow-up peer-led PA intervention. Peer mentor satisfaction scores ranged from 3.9 to 4.6 out of 5. Interviews generated themes around overall impressions, feedback on timing, structure, and content of the training program and mock role play, and peer mentor preparedness. Structured training for delivering peer-led PA interventions show promise; however, individualized support may be needed for some people LWBC to strengthen mentorship knowledge and skills.
Aim
This study examines the moderating role of specific job resources in the association between job demands, vigour, sustainable performance and fatigue in nursing home staff.
Design
A multi‐location cross‐sectional survey study in line with the STROBE guidelines.
Methods
Online self‐completion questionnaires were distributed in the Summer of 2022. A total of 667 healthcare employees from 24 nursing home locations in the Netherlands participated in this study. Data were analysed using hierarchical multiple regression analysis.
Results
Job resources were able to moderate the relation between job demands on the one hand, and vigour, sustainable performance and fatigue on the other. Regression analyses revealed that high cognitive job resources moderated (i.e., strengthened) the positive association between cognitive job demands and successively cognitive liveliness, physical strength and sustainable performance. Furthermore, high emotional job resources moderated (i.e., buffered) the positive relation between emotional job demands and emotional and cognitive fatigue, respectively.
Conclusions
It can be concluded that job resources are crucial for nursing home staff to deal with their high job demands. Maintaining a healthy balance between job demands and sufficient, matching, job resources to promote vigour and sustainable performance, as well as to prevent fatigue of staff, seems to be important.
Implications for the Profession
There is an urgent need to train nursing home staff to cope better with increasing job demands. Because job demands cannot be reduced in many situations, this study revealed that the idea of boosting job resources instead is appealing to both staff and managers.
Patient or Public Contribution
Dutch healthcare staff from 24 nursing home locations were involved in this study by responding to the online survey.
This study aims to analyze the relationship between social support and job satisfaction with psychological wellbeing among Indonesian Navy personnel. Social support is a condition where individuals receive various types of support according to their psychological needs. Job satisfaction is a positive feeling towards work that motivates individuals to give their best effort. Psychological well-being is a positive assessment of an individual's realization of their potential, influenced by life experiences and the hope to live a psychologically healthy life, leading to a sense of responsibility in their life. This research employs a quantitative method with a correlational study involving 292 Indonesian Navy personnel respondents, using incidental sampling techniques. The research instruments include the "Social Provisions Scale" for social support, the "Job Satisfaction Scale" for job satisfaction, and "Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scales" for psychological well-being. Hypothesis testing with SPSS version 21.0 shows an F value of 1750.835 with a significance of 0.000 (p < 0.05), indicating that the hypothesis is accepted. Partial testing shows that social support (X1) and job satisfaction (X2) have a significant relationship with psychological well-being, with at value of 0.000 (p < 0.005). An Adjusted R Square of 0.924 indicates that social support and job satisfaction influence psychological well-being by 92.4%, while the remaining 7.6% is influenced by other variables not examined in this study.
The current study aims at investigating the effect of social support on the academic resilience of undergraduate students. Students experience multiple academic challenges due to their transition to higher education. These challenges pave way for social support to significantly reduce stressful academic experiences to foster persistence among the learners. The support experiences by students focuses on informational support, esteem support, motivational support, and venting support. These support experiences facilitate students in resolving academic issues while preparing for their assignments, quizzes and exams. The current research used causal comparative research to study the above-mentioned constructs. The multistage stratified sampling technique was used to draw the sample (n=600) of undergraduate students from Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU). The findings of the study revealed that social support significantly influence academic resilience (p= .000) and its sub constructs perseverance (p= .000), reflective and adaptive-help seeking (p= .000), and negative affect and emotional response (p= .000). Furthermore, esteem support, motivational support, and venting support significantly influence academic resilience (p= .000) of students. It can be concluded that students experience high levels of social support in sorting their academic problems and receiving emotional assistance. It can be further suggested that interactive learning strategies should be adopted for thorough understanding of concepts and ensuring hands-on experiences for students to instill soft/digital skills.
Son yıllarda yaşanan salgın, deprem, iklim krizi, ekonomik güçlükler gibi zorlayıcı yaşam
durumları karşısında algılanan toplumsal desteğin birey, aile ve daha geniş ölçüde toplumlar
için sürdürülebilir iyi oluşunu sağlamada oldukça önemli olduğu gözlenmiştir. Bu konuda
yapılan çalışmalarda kültürel farklılıkların bulunmasından dolayı kültürel destek ağlarının
araştırılmasına ihtiyaç duyulmaktadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, Herrero ve Gracia (2007)
tarafından geliştirilen Algılanan Toplumsal Destek Ölçeği (ATDÖ)’nün Türkçe’ye uyarlanması
ve ölçeğin psikometrik özelliklerinin Türkiye’de yaşayan yetişkinler üzerinde incelenmesidir.
Araştırmada, evli 381 kişi (213 kadın, % 55.2 ve 170 erkek, % 44) yer almaktadır. Doğrulayıcı
faktör analiz sonuçları, ATDÖ’nün; toplumsal aidiyet, topluma dâhil olma ve toplumsal
memnuniyet olmak üzere orijinal formundaki gibi üç boyuttan oluştuğunu göstermiştir.
Ayrıca çoklu grup doğrulayıcı faktör analizi sonuçları, ATDÖ’nün faktör yapısının cinsiyete
göre (kadın ve erkek) ölçme değişmezliğine sahip olduğunu ortaya koymuştur. Bunun yanı
sıra ATDÖ’nün toplam ve alt boyutları ile “İki Yönlü Sosyal Destek Ölçeği”, “Aile Sosyal Destek
Alt Ölçeği” ve “Depresyon, Kaygı ve Stres Ölçeği” ölçekleriyle arasındaki ilişkiler, ölçeğin
benzerlik ve ayırt edici geçerliliği için kanıt sağlamıştır. Güvenirlik analizleri sonucu ise ölçeğin
Cronbach alfa katsayılarının .80 ila .92 arasında değiştiği görülmüştür. Bulgular, ABD’nin Türk
toplumunda düşük, alt-orta ve orta sos yo-ekonomik düzeyde, evli bireylerde kullanılabilecek,
geçerli ve güvenilir bir ölçme aracı olduğunu ortaya koymuştur
Attachment anxiety is expected to motivate people to seek excessive attention, reassurance, and help from their attachment figures. However, prior studies assessing links between attachment anxiety and this hyperactivating support‐seeking strategy have yielded inconsistent results. To advance this literature, the current research focused on the disclosure of negative personal experiences (i.e., disclosure decisions and disclosure strategies), an overlooked step in the support‐seeking process where hyperactivation may occur. Participants ( N = 444) reported whether and how they shared up to four recent negative events with up to three attachment figures, and they reported their relationship‐specific attachment toward each figure (to improve measurement precision). Participants were more likely to report sharing negative events with attachment figures to whom they reported greater attachment anxiety, especially when they also perceived low responsiveness in that relationship. Additionally, participants reported that they displayed greater distress, downplayed their personal responsibility more, and emphasized a need for help more when disclosing negative events in relationships with greater attachment anxiety (behaviors that facilitate support receipt and decrease the risk of rejection). This study helps to clarify links between attachment anxiety and support seeking and provides one of the first empirical demonstrations of strategic support seeking in anxiously attached relationships.
Purpose
The present study examines the interplay between age, marital status, alpha female status and various adaptive performance dimensions among a cohort of 380 female professionals.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts a positivist approach to collect and analyse the data, utilizing appropriate statistical techniques to explore the relationships between the variables of interest.
Findings
The study elucidates the significant role of alpha female status in predicting adaptive performance. It finds that alpha females possess distinct competencies, particularly in learning and training, indicative of proactive behaviour and self-efficacy. While older participants tend to demonstrate higher performance levels, the study reveals no significant correlation between age and alpha female status, suggesting that leadership traits may develop independently of age. Furthermore, marital status exerts a modest influence on adaptive performance. The interplay of age and marital status significantly affects adaptive performance, potentially due to the Cumulative Advantage Paradigm, which is the accumulation of advantages or disadvantages throughout an individual's life course.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the existing literature by providing a nuanced understanding of how demographic factors converge to influence adaptive performance in professional settings. It highlights the importance of recognising and nurturing alpha females in organizations and considering the interactions between age and marital status when designing career development programmes and support systems.
Rationale: Migrant care workers (MCWs) play a crucial role in addressing healthcare workforce shortages in many developed countries. Existing reviews document the significant challenges MCWs face—such as language barriers, interpersonal discrimination, and sexual harassment—and describe the social support that MCWs receive, but ambiguous application and heterogeneous measurement of theoretical constructs have thus far precluded
researchers from deriving generalizable insights about how various types of social support positively and negatively impact MCWs’ well-being. Therefore, we conducted a scoping review on this topic and organized the literature using four theoretical perspectives on social support.
Objective: To synthesize interdisciplinary research on social support for MCWs and extend existing reviews, we conducted a scoping review of 56 empirical studies to understand how these studies conceptualize and operationalize social support for MCWs and the theoretical and methodological approaches they adopt.
Findings: Our findings suggest that scholars have implicitly and explicitly adopted a wide array of theoretical perspectives (e.g., stress and coping, social constructivism), with few studies engaging theories in substantive ways. The reviewed studies have demonstrated both positive and negative implications of social support for MCWs’ well-being. However, these studies heavily focus on the social support MCWs receive, whereas the negative impacts of MCWs’ unmet support needs remain under-investigated. Although empirical studies use diverse methodologies to study this topic, most quantitative studies approach social support from a stress and
coping perspective. We advocate for researchers conducting quantitative studies to adopt a critical consciousness and work toward statistically modeling how the intersectionality of MCWs’ identities and the multi-level nature of MCWs’ power positions within their social networks may impact whether MCWs successfully obtain the support they need to thrive.
Few studies have examined developmentally relevant sources of resilience, such as peer social support, among young sexual minority men (SMM) of color experiencing discrimination and mental health distress. To address this gap in the literature, we examined the role of peer social support in the association between discrimination and mental health distress in a sample of young SMM of color. Ninety-four cisgender young SMM of color (aged 16–29) were recruited through community-based organizations in the New York City metropolitan area as part of an effectiveness trial of a tailored Motivational Interviewing intervention. Participants completed a baseline survey that included measures of school/workplace ethnoracial discrimination, sexual orientation discrimination, peer social support, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Results of multivariable models indicated some evidence of the stress-buffering effects of peer social support. School/workplace ethnoracial discrimination was negatively associated with symptoms of anxiety (B = −0.12, SE = 0.03, p < .001) and depression (B = 0.44, SE = 0.15, p = .005) among young SMM of color with lower levels of peer social support. Peer social support did not moderate the association between sexual orientation discrimination and either depression or anxiety. Findings provide some evidence of the protective role of peer social support. We discuss the implications of the results for practice with young SMM of color with mental health distress.
This research involved a mixed-methods study to explore the nature and outcomes of gratitude expressions in the workplace. A qualitative journaling study revealed that quality gratitude expressions in the workplace involve the following traits: genuine, acknowledgement of positive outcomes, acknowledgement of time and effort, acknowledgement of social support, personalized, and playful. The interview study revealed that key outcomes of quality gratitude expressions were feeling valued, a sense of attachment, and engagement. A follow-up survey of professionals showed that while the quality and quantity of verbal gratitude expressions contribute to higher perceptions of feeling valued and attachment to colleagues, the quality and quantity of written gratitude expressions contribute to all three aspects of happiness: feeling valued, attachment, and engagement. These findings suggest that gratitude expressions are aspects of positive communication that contribute significantly to thriving individuals and communities in the workplace.
Entrepreneurial intention refers to the development of motivation or aspiration to initiate a business prior to its actual establishment. Within the entrepreneurship literature, entrepreneurial intention is recognized as the precursor to company creation. Entrepreneurship as a strategy for the development of countries, job creation, and welfare is considered to identify suitable opportunities and increase production. Its innovations bring demands for new products and services that were not previously available, thereby increasing the supply of new products, leading to increased employment and improved living standards for society individuals. Television programs are often seen as a useful tool for entrepreneurship. Therefore, the aim of this research is to explore the mediating role of family support on the impact of television programs on entrepreneurial intentions among students. This study is considered descriptive research in terms of objectives, practicality, and data collection methods. The data gathering tool is a Likert spectrum questionnaire distributed among Isfahan province students online through the Internet and snowball sampling method, with 447 usable questionnaires being analyzed. The results show that the content of entrepreneurship television programs directly influences entrepreneurial intentions through individual attitudes, family support, perceived mental norms, and behavioral control. It also indicates that the content of entrepreneurship television programs has a positive and significant impact on students' entrepreneurial intentions.
This book explores how psychotherapy and psychophysiology can be integrated to improve therapy outcomes and provides a guide for professionals on integration in clinical practice. Increasingly, many psychotherapists use psychophysiological approaches as a part of their therapy but currently no books address psychotherapy/psychophysiology integration. This book can be used in a classroom setting to teach psychotherapy/psychophysiology integration. The book is structured in three parts: theory, assessment, and intervention. The first part focuses on conceptual models for psychotherapy/psychophysiology integration, highlighting an evolutionary approach, brain plasticity, and an embodied understanding of affect. The second part focuses on assessment in psychophysiological psychotherapy, introducing dimensional and hierarchical approaches to diagnostic assessment, highlighting the biology of personality and stress, and showing how a dimensional approach can be used to understand and conceptualize personality. The third part focuses on integrating psychophysiology into clinical practice, emphasizing therapist flexibility, heart rate variability biofeedback, breath training, and compassion-focused therapy.
This book explores how psychotherapy and psychophysiology can be integrated to improve therapy outcomes and provides a guide for professionals on integration in clinical practice. Increasingly, many psychotherapists use psychophysiological approaches as a part of their therapy but currently no books address psychotherapy/psychophysiology integration. This book can be used in a classroom setting to teach psychotherapy/psychophysiology integration. The book is structured in three parts: theory, assessment, and intervention. The first part focuses on conceptual models for psychotherapy/psychophysiology integration, highlighting an evolutionary approach, brain plasticity, and an embodied understanding of affect. The second part focuses on assessment in psychophysiological psychotherapy, introducing dimensional and hierarchical approaches to diagnostic assessment, highlighting the biology of personality and stress, and showing how a dimensional approach can be used to understand and conceptualize personality. The third part focuses on integrating psychophysiology into clinical practice, emphasizing therapist flexibility, heart rate variability biofeedback, breath training, and compassion-focused therapy.
Risky families are characterized by conflict and aggression and by relationships that are cold, unsupportive, and neglectful. These family characteristics create vulnerabilities and/or interact with genetically based vulnerabilities in offspring that produce disruptions in psychosocial functioning (specifically emotion processing and social competence), disruptions in stress-responsive biological regulatory systems, including sympathetic-adrenomedullary and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenocortical functioning, and poor health behaviors, especially substance abuse. This integrated biobehavioral profile leads to consequent accumulating risk for mental health disorders, major chronic diseases, and early mortality. We conclude that childhood family environments represent vital links for understanding mental and physical health across the life span.
This study examines associations among social control, health behavior change, and psychological distress. Social control refers to interactions between social network members that entail regulation, influence, and constraint. Social control is predicted to have dual effects leading to better health practices while also arousing psychological distress. A random sample of 242 individuals answered questions about health practices, overall exposure to social control in their networks, and social control attempts made by a specific network member. Analyses yielded mixed support for the hypotheses, but analyses of responses to the social control attempts of a specific network member did reveal that social control predicted less health-compromising behavior and more health-enhancing behavior as well as more distress. The results suggest that social control warrants greater attention in efforts to understand how personal relationships influence health.
To address the long-term physiological consequences of chronic stressors, 14 continuing or current family caregivers of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, 17 former AD caregivers, and 31 control subjects were compared. Continuing and former caregivers did not differ on depressive symptomatology or perceived stress; both groups were significantly more depressed and stressed than controls. Furthermore, continuing and former caregivers did not differ in the response of NK cells in vitro to recombinant interferon-γ and recombinant interleukin-2, and both groups had a significantly poorer response to these cytokines than controls. The physiological and psychological consequences of chronic stressors may persist well beyond the cessation of the actual stressor.
Investigated the social support available to families of children born with craniofacial anomalies and the perceived degree of satisfaction derived from these relationships. Thirty-six children (1 month to 5 years old) born with craniofacial deformities (FD) were matched by age and sex to 36 children with no significant physical or behavioral problems. The Social Support Questionnaire-Revised, the Revised Denver Developmental Screening Test, and a semistructured interview were administered. Results indicated that parents of FD children reported less available social support and were significantly less satisfied with their support. Parents of children who had more severe physical impairments and were rated as less attractive reported having less available and less satisfying social support. In particular, the social competence of the child was the most important predictor of parental social support. This result is interesting as the parents of FD children appeared to underreport the presence of behavioral-psychological problems in their children.
Key words: facial deformity, social support, craniofacial anomalies, social skills
This study explored the burdens experienced by 42 adults who lived with a depressed patient and related these burdens to their degree of psychological distress. The comparison group consisted of 23 adults who were living with someone who had been an in- or outpatient but who was not currently in a depressive episode. Respondents who were living with a patient in a depressive episode were quite distressed themselves, and over 40% met a standardized criterion for referral for therapeutic intervention. For these respondents, living with a patient currently in a depressive episode produced numerous burdens in response to the patients' symptoms, particularly patients' lack of interest in social life, fatigue, feelings of hopelessness, and worrying. Multiple regression analyses showed that these burdens accounted almost entirely for respondents' greater psychological distress. It is suggested that clinical depression is often indicative of a more generally distressed interpersonal context.
It is useful to reconceptualize social support as coping assistance. If the same coping strategies used by individuals in response to stress are those that are applied to distressed persons as assistance, models of coping and support can be integrated. To illustrate the utility of such an integration, coping strategies and support strategies are derived from a more general theory of stress-buffering processes in this article. A variety of supportive strategies not previously identified by researchers are derived. Further, predictions regarding efficacious and nonefficacious types of support are made, and empathic understanding (based on sociocultural and situational similarities between a distressed person and a helper) is identified as a crucial condition for coping assistance to be sought, accepted, and found effective.
This prospective study examined the effects of prenatal social support on maternal and infant health and well-being in a sample of low-income pregnant women (N = 129). Three aspects of support (amount received, quality of support received, and network resources) and four outcomes (birth weight, Apgar scores, labor progress, and postpartum depression) were studied. Results indicated that women who received more support had better labor progress and babies with higher Apgar scores. Women with higher quality support had babies with higher Apgar scores and experienced less postpartum depression. Also, women with larger networks had babies of higher birth weight. Further analyses indicated that the outcomes as a whole were more consistently predicted by instrumental rather than emotional forms of support. Finally, although there was some evidence for stress-buffering effects of support, the overall findings were more consistent with a main effect model.
When life crises occur, significant others are thought to help alleviate distress and resolve practical problems. Yet life crises may overwhelm significant others, eroding their ability to provide effective support. The accuracy of these contrasting accounts of relationship functioning was evaluated in a study of 102 breast cancer patients and their significant others, interviewed at 4 and 10 months after diagnosis. Results largely confirmed the negative account of relationship functioning. Although significant others provided support in response to patients' physical impairment, they withdrew support in response to patients' emotional distress. Moreover, support from significant others did not alleviate patients' distress or promote physical recovery. These results reveal limits to the effectiveness of close relationships in times of severe stress.
Several research literatures are reviewed that address the associations of emotional, informational, and instrumental social support to psychological adjustment to cancer. Descriptive studies suggest that emotional support is most desired by patients, and correlational studies suggest that emotional support has the strongest associations with better adjustment. However, the evidence for the effectiveness of peer discussion groups aimed at providing emotional support is less than convincing. Moreover, educational groups aimed at providing informational support appear to be as effective as, if not more effective than, peer discussions. Reasons for inconsistencies between the correlational and intervention literatures are discussed, and future directions are outlined.
To examine the relation among social integration (SI), affect, and smoking and alcohol consumption.
The authors administered social network and psychological questionnaires to 193 adults and then interviewed them on 14 consecutive evenings about their daily social interactions, affect, and smoking and alcohol consumption.
The main outcome measures were positive and negative affect, smoking, and alcohol consumption.
Between-subjects analyses found that those with more diverse social networks (high in SI) interacted with more people and smoked and drank less. SI was not, however, associated with affect. In contrast, within-subject analyses found that the more people participants interacted with during a day, the greater their positive affect, drinking, and smoking on that day. However, this occurred primarily for persons low in SI. High-SI persons reported high positive affect irrespective of the number of people with whom they interacted, and their smoking and drinking behaviors were less influenced by number of interactants.
SI may alter health because it affects responsiveness to the social influences of others.
This study investigated predictors of negative reactions to assistance provided to a physically disabled spouse (n = 276, M age: 76.6 years) and the consequences that negative reactions may have for the mental health of the care recipient. Nearly 40% of recipients reported some emotional distress in response to help they received. Fatalistic attitudes, perceived control, and lower self-esteem predicted greater helping distress, whereas lower self-esteem, fatalistic beliefs, and marital conflict were especially likely to lead to helping distress for those who received higher levels of assistance. Helping distress was also found to predict depression as much as 1 year later, suggesting that there may be long-term consequences of negative reactions to assistance. These findings have important implications for the study of caregiving and the relationship between physical impairment and depression.
We used meta-analysis to examine recent studies of sex differences in coping. Women were more likely than men to engage in most coping strategies. The strongest effects showed that women were more likely to use strategies that involved verbal expressions to others or the self—to seek emotional support, ruminate about problems, and use positive self-talk. These sex differences were consistent across studies, supporting a dispositional level hypothesis. Other sex differences were dependent on the nature of the stressor, supporting role constraint theory. We also examined whether stressor appraisal (i.e., women's tendencies to appraise stressors as more severe) accountedfor sex differences in coping. We found some support for this idea. To circumvent this issue, we provide some data on relative coping. These data demonstrate that sex differences in relative coping are more in line with our intuitions about the differences in the ways men and women cope with distress.
In order to examine the hypothesis that social support attenuates cardiovascular reactions to standard laboratory stressors. 60 male and 60 female undergraduates were first tested alone and then in one of three conditions: alone, or with a friend or a stranger present. Those tested with a partner, be it friend or stranger, displayed cardiovascular reactions of a similar magnitude to those who remained alone. Subsequent analysis following reallocation of subjects in the partnered conditions to groupings based on their ratings of how supportive or prying they found their partners did yield some effects. However, they occurred as interactive effects with sex, appeared on some cardiovascular indices but not others, and were modest in size, frequently failing to emerge as reliable on post hoc analysis. It was concluded that future tests of the social support-reactivity hypothesis need to be conducted in more realistic social settings.
In the last decade a great deal of research has been devoted to the question whether social support has a favorable impact on the maintenance of physical health and on coping with illness. It is claimed that social support can either generally prevent negative health consequences or can serve as a buffer in specific stress situations. The literature, however, yields inconsistent findings. We have compiled 55 studies on this topic including a total sample size of N=32,739 subjects. Forty one of the studies were published after 1981. A total of 83 effect sizes (correlations), based on independent samples, were identified. The correlations between social support and poor health (including mortality) ranged from r=-0.60 to +0.23. The meta-analysis focussed on several data subsets generated by potential moderators such as gender, kind of support, and specific health variables.
This prospective study followed 350 African American, Latina, and European American women over a 6-month period to assess the relation of HIV status, socio-economic status (SES), and chronic burden to depression overtime, and examined the moderation of these effects by psychosocial resources (social support, optimism, and coping style). HIV status and ethnicity were significantly associated with depressed mood at each time point, but not with change overtime. Chronic burden and low SES (Latinas only) were significant predictors of changes in depression. Although psychosocial resources were associated with lower levels of depression, they did not moderate changes in depression over time. The significance of chronic burdens for understanding the psychosocial impact of HIV is discussed.
Some 29 interactions between chimpanzees Pan troglodytes and leopards Panthera pardus were observed or inferred in the tropical rainforest of the Tai National Park, Cote d'Ivoire. Chimpanzees chased away leopards in nine cases, rescued alarm calling chimpanzees in 11 cases, nine times leopards attacked chimpanzees, injuring six of them and killing four. Predation by leopards is estimated to be the first cause of mortality in the Tai chimpanzees and individual chimpanzees may experience a risk of predatory attack of 0.30 per year and a mortality risk of 0.055 per year. Tai chimpanzees adapt specifically their grouping patterns to food availability and to predation: with abundant food and low predation, party size increases and mixed parties are more frequent, whereas with the same food condition but with high predation, party size decreased and all-male party types increase. -from Author
The hypothesis that multiple ties to friends, family, work, and community are beneficial in terms of physical health has gained substantial support recently. Particularly provocative is epidemio- logic evidence that those who have more diversified social net- works—that is, people who are married; people who interact with family members, friends, neighbors, and fellow workers; and peo- ple who belong to social and religious groups—live longer (House, Landis, & Umberson, 1988), are more likely to survive myocardial infarction (Berkman, 1995), and are less likely to suffer a recur- rence of cancer (Helgeson, Cohen, & Fritz, 1998) than their counterparts with fewer types of social relationships. A study of host resistance to upper respiratory infections (URIs) found that
Objective.
—This article defines stress and related concepts and reviews their historical development. The notion of a stress system as the effector of the stress syndrome is suggested, and its physiologic and pathophysiologic manifestations are described. A new perspective on human disease states associated with dysregulation of the stress system is provided.
The differences in young adolescent coping responses were investigated to determine whether their reported differences in strategies would vary by gender and/or ethnicity (Anglo or Hispanic). Two hundred forty-four ninth-grade adolescents completed the Adolescent Coping Orientation for Problem Experiences (A-COPE) to provide a measure of thier self-reported coping strategies. The subjects' responses were factor analyzed and a factor structure of 13 variables was constructed that appeared to reflect the developmental level of the subjects. A MANOVA indicated that there were significant differences across gender and ethnicity on these individual factors. Females reported engaging in social relationships and creating change either in actual or cognitive terms more frequently, whereas males tended to rely on stress reduction activities or diversions. Ethnic differences supported the more frequent use of social activities and seeking spiritual support among Hispanics when faced with difficulties. Implications for these results and their usefulness in intervention programs are discussed.
The concepts of agency and communion have been used to describe sex differences in vulnerability to specific stressor domains. This study examined blood pressure and heart rate responses of 60 married couples to experimental manipulations of disagreement (i.e., communion stressor) and achievement challenge (i.e., agency stressor). Consistent with predictions, disagreement elicited heightened cardiovascular reactivity among wives, but not husbands. In contrast, the achievement challenge elicited heightened cardiovascular reactivity among husbands, but not wives. Participants' responses to a circumplex measure of interpersonal appraisal were consistent with the interpretation of differential responses to agency and communion stressors. Results are congruent with a situational approach to sex differences in cardiovascular reactivity and illustrate the utility of interpersonal methods in the explication of psychosocial risk for cardiovascular disease. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Communal relationships, in which the giving of a benefit in response to a need for the benefit is appropriate, are distinguished from exchange relationships, in which the giving of a benefit in response to the receipt of a benefit is appropriate. Based on this distinction, it was hypothesized that the receipt of a benefit after the person has been benefited leads to greater attraction when an exchange relationship is preferred and decreases attraction when a communal relationship is desired. These hypotheses were supported in Exp I, which used 96 male undergraduates. Exp II, which used a different manipulation of exchange vs communal relationships with 80 female undergraduates, supported the hypotheses that (a) a request for a benefit after the S is aided by the other leads to greater attraction when an exchange relationship is expected and decreases attraction when a communal relationship is expected, and (b) a request for a benefit in the absence of prior aid from the other decreases attraction when an exchange relationship is expected. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Nine male and 10 female managers in a low stress group and 10 male and 10 female managers in a high stress group described stressful work-related situations they had experienced and how they coped with them. The revised Ways of Coping Checklist (S. Folkman and R. S. Lazarus; see record
1981-23416-001) was completed for each situation described. A work stressors questionnaire was used to assess additional types of stressors. Women were more likely than men to report that prejudice and discrimination and work/family interfaces were sources of stress. Male and female managers did not differ in the ways they coped with work-related problems. However, women were more likely to cope with their feelings about problems by talking to others, whereas men were more likely to engage in a distracting nonwork activity. Those in high and low stress groups differed only in their use of "wishful thinking" as a way of coping. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Surveys the literature on social support and cancer and reports results from an empirical investigation of the factors that led cancer patients to join social support groups. Questionnaire data from 666 21–89 yr old cancer patients show that although most Ss received high levels of social support following cancer, some experienced isolated instances of rejection or did not receive the type of support they wanted from family, friends, and medical caregivers. This appeared to be 1 impetus for joining cancer support groups, although Ss reporting a lack of social support were not generally more likely to join support groups than were other Ss. The Profile of Mood States suggested that attenders were somewhat less likely to be depressed than were nonattenders. In addition, cancer support group attenders were more likely to be White middle-class females, to report having more problems, and to use social support resources of all kinds than were nonattenders. Implications for outreach to cancer patients are discussed, and it is concluded that while support groups may be beneficial for many cancer patients, current programs tend to be used largely by the same segment of the population that uses traditional mental health services. (81 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
A meta-analytic integration of research evidence revealed that there was, in general, a marginally significant, small tendency for the presence of others to decrease self-reports of arousal and a significant, small tendency for the presence of others to increase electrodermal responses. However, these effects were moderated by the type of situation and the type of others present. Arousal is increased on both measures in neutral situations for both coactor others and audience others; arousal is increased on both measures in aversive situations for audience others. In aversive situations, coactors rendered an increase in arousal on electrodermal responses but a decrease in arousal on self-report responses. Discussion considers theoretical accounts for these effects of the presence of others on arousal. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
The prognostic importance of somatic and psychosocial variables after a first myocardial infarction was studied in 201 consecutive Gothenburg, Sweden men below 61 years of age who had survived a first myocardial infarction between December 1976 and December 1978. The maximum follow-up time was 100 months. The prognostic importance of somatic, social, and psychological variables was related to the endpoints of death, nonfatal reinfarction, and total events. During follow-up, 48 deaths and 37 nonfatal recurrences occurred. Four variables, none of them significantly correlated with each other, were related to risk of an endpoint. Being single increased risk of death (p < 0.01) and risk of all events (p < 0.001), whereas an index reflecting infarct size was correlated to risk of death (p<0.001). A prognostic index based upon data available at three months after the myocardial infarction (angina pectoris, hypertension, serum aspartate aminotransferase (S-ASAT) maximum, and smoking) was correlated to risk of nonfatal reinfarction (p < 0.05). Use of sedatives was also related to risk of reinfarction (p<0.05) and to risk of total event (p<0.05). The probability of death, reinfarction, and total event was estimated within two and five years after the infarction for all combinations of the variables that were related to risk of an endpoint. It was thus demonstrated that the predictive power increased over time and that the somatic and psychosocial variables independently added information.
The relationship between social and community ties and mortality was assessed using the 1965 Human Population Laboratory survey of a random sample of 6928 adults in Alameda County, California and a subsequent nine-year mortality follow-up. The findings show that people who lacked social and community ties were more likely to die in the follow-up period than those with more extensive contacts. The age-adjusted relative risks for those most Isolated when compared to those with the most social contacts were 2.3 for men and 2.8 for women. The association between social ties and mortality was found to be independent of self-reported physical health status at the time of the 1965 survey, year of death, socioeconomic status, and health practices such as smoking, alcoholic beverage consumption, obesity, physical activity, and utilization of preventive health services as well as a cumulative index of health practices.
The effect of psychosocial intervention on time of survival of 86 patients with metastatic breast cancer was studied prospectively. The 1 year intervention consisted of weekly supportive group therapy with self-hypnosis for pain. Both the treatment (n = 50) and control groups (n = 36) had routine oncological care. At 10 year follow-up, only 3 of the patients were alive, and death records were obtained for the other 83. Survival from time of randomisation and onset of intervention was a mean 36.6 (SD 37.6) months in the intervention group compared with 18.9 (10.8) months in the control group, a significant difference. Survival plots indicated that divergence in survival began at 20 months after entry, or 8 months after intervention ended.
The abstract for this document is available on CSA Illumina.To view the Abstract, click the Abstract button above the document title.
This paper tests the hypothesis that the psychological vulnerability of disadvantaged persons to undesirable life events can
be explained by the joint occurrence of high event exposure and low social support resources in such persons' lives. Data
from a panel study of 1,106 individuals in Chicago are utilized to examine this hypothesis. Social support is operationalized
as the relative presence or absence of an intimate, confiding relationship. Analyses show that differential vulnerability
cannot be accounted for by the joint occurrence of undesirable events and lack of support. A significant negative main effect
of social support on psychological distress is revealed, suggesting that support counterbalances, rather than interacts with
(buffers), the impacts of life stress. Explanations for these findings are offered.
In the case of chronic health problems such as hypertension, treatment often causes more stress for the family than does the disorder itself. Because of this stress, hypertension patients often do not comply with treatment regimens. Using models developed by Hill, McCubbin, and others, this paper examines the ways hypertension therapy-related stress is mediated by extended family-based self-help groups in rural, central Mississippi. The primary conclusion is that these self-help groups are the best means of controlling hypertension in this area because they are built upon an existing family structure and involve the entire extended family in adapting to recommended behavioral changes.
We examined the role of social support in moderating cardiovascular reactivity to behavioral stress. Fifty female students performed a stressful math task while alone or in the presence of a close female friend. The friend-present condition was either high or low in evaluation potential. Subjects in the non-evaluative friend-present condition showed reduced systolic blood pressure reactivity compared to those alone during the task. Subjects in the evaluative friend-present condition did not differ from the others on any cardiovascular measure. Perceived closeness to the friend and length of the friendship positively correlated with size of the systolic blood pressure reduction in subjects assigned to friend-present conditions, regardless of evaluation condition. Simultaneous monitoring of the friends' cardiovascular activity revealed that the non-evaluative friends showed decreasing blood pressure during the task, whereas the evaluative friends did not. The findings suggest that the measurable benefit of social support may require protocols with minimal or no element of evaluation.
The nature of self-help groups is discussed and considered with special reference to those composed of epileptics. Results of a preliminary survey of epilepsy self-help group members are presented, and effects relating to stigmatization, reasons for participation, asserted curative factors, and formal-only versus informal participation in the self-help group process are examined. Societal reaction to people with epilepsy is viewed as a major contributor to problems associated with this disability.
This article reports three experiments in which one participant (the speaker) told another participant (the listener) about a problem. According to our interpersonal model, a speaker who describes a problem has a particular goal (e.g., to obtain advice, to obtain compassion). To be supportive, the listener needs to infer the person's goal from various cues, including the type of problem and other context cues, and then react accordingly. In Study 1, 34 students described a problem and 51 other students provided a reaction. The relative frequency of each type of reaction varied with the type of problem. In Study 2 (N = 302), vignettes were embedded in a frame that suggested one or the other type of goal. The relative frequency of each type of reaction depended upon the type of frame. In Study 3 (N = 40 dyads), speakers were instructed to describe an action- or distress-focused problem and listeners were instructed to react with an action-facilitating or compassionate response. Speakers were more satisfied when the type of reaction matched the type of goal that was implied by the cues. Together, these experiments support the interpersonal model.
There is strong consensus that caring for an elderly individual with disability is burdensome and stressful to many family members and contributes to psychiatric morbidity. Researchers have also suggested that the combination of loss, prolonged distress, the physical demands of caregiving, and biological vulnerabilities of older caregivers may compromise their physiological functioning and increase their risk for physical health problems, leading to increased mortality.
To examine the relationship between caregiving demands among older spousal caregivers and 4-year all-cause mortality, controlling for sociodemographic factors, prevalent clinical disease, and subclinical disease at baseline.
Prospective population-based cohort study, from 1993 through 1998 with an average of 4.5 years of follow-up.
Four US communities.
A total of 392 caregivers and 427 noncaregivers aged 66 to 96 years who were living with their spouses.
Four-year mortality, based on level of caregiving: (1) spouse not disabled; (2) spouse disabled and not helping; (3) spouse disabled and helping with no strain reported; or(4) spouse disabled and helping with mental or emotional strain reported.
After 4 years of follow-up, 103 participants (12.6%) died. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, prevalent disease, and subclinical cardiovascular disease, participants who were providing care and experiencing caregiver strain had mortality risks that were 63% higher than noncaregiving controls (relative risk [RR], 1.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00-2.65). Participants who were providing care but not experiencing strain (RR, 1.08; 95 % CI, 0.61-1.90) and those with a disabled spouse who were not providing care (RR, 1.37; 95% CI, 0.73-2.58) did not have elevated adjusted mortality rates relative to the noncaregiving controls.
Our study suggests that being a caregiver who is experiencing mental or emotional strain is an independent risk factor for mortality among elderly spousal caregivers. Caregivers who report strain associated with caregiving are more likely to die than noncaregiving controls.
Objective:
To examine the hypothesis that diverse ties to friends, family, work, and community are associated with increased host resistance to infection.
Design:
After reporting the extent of participation in 12 types of social ties (eg, spouse, parent, friend, workmate, member of social group), subjects were given nasal drops containing 1 of 2 rhinoviruses and monitored for the development of a common cold.
Setting:
Quarantine.
Participants:
A total of 276 healthy volunteers, aged 18 to 55 years, neither seropositive for human immunodeficiency virus nor pregnant.
Outcome measures:
Colds (illness in the presence of a verified infection), mucus production, mucociliary clearance function, and amount of viral replication.
Results:
In response to both viruses, those with more types of social ties were less susceptible to common colds, produced less mucus, were more effective in ciliary clearance of their nasal passages, and shed less virus. These relationships were unaltered by statistical controls for prechallenge virus-specific antibody, virus type, age, sex, season, body mass index, education, and race. Susceptibility to colds decreased in a dose-response manner with increased diversity of the social network. There was an adjusted relative risk of 4.2 comparing persons with fewest (1 to 3) to those with most (6 or more) types of social ties. Although smoking, poor sleep quality, alcohol abstinence, low dietary intake of vitamin C, elevated catecholamine levels, and being introverted were all associated with greater susceptibility to colds, they could only partially account for the relation between social network diversity and incidence of colds.
Conclusions:
More diverse social networks were associated with greater resistance to upper respiratory illness.
Variations in maternal care affect the development of individual differences in neuroendocrine responses to stress in rats.
As adults, the offspring of mothers that exhibited more licking and grooming of pups during the first 10 days of life showed
reduced plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone and corticosterone responses to acute stress, increased hippocampal glucocorticoid
receptor messenger RNA expression, enhanced glucocorticoid feedback sensitivity, and decreased levels of hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing
hormone messenger RNA. Each measure was significantly correlated with the frequency of maternal licking and grooming (all
r's > −0.6). These findings suggest that maternal behavior serves to “program” hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal responses to
stress in the offspring.
STARBRIGHT World is an innovative computer network for hospitalized children that provides interactive health education as well as opportunities to meet online with children in other hospitals. Fifty hospitalized children with sickle cell disease (SCD) or asthma participated in at least 1 day of a 3-day curriculum involving STARBRIGHT World activities and were compared to 60 control participants who participated in traditional hospital educational and recreational activities. Disease knowledge, perceived social support from peers, and coping skills were assessed at pre- and posttest. Participation in STARBRIGHT World resulted in a trend toward greater increases in knowledge for teens with asthma, more perceived peer support for children with SCD, and decreased negative coping among teens with SCD. The lack of more global treatment effects may be related to sample size and measurement variability issues, as well as limitations and variability in treatment intensity. Discussion focuses on ways to enhance STARBRIGHT World efficacy via outpatient and home-based program development and the need for further research using larger samples and more standardized intervention.
reports on a study . . . which has as one of its goals, the identification of sources of satisfaction and dissatisfaction among patients participating in cancer support groups
this questionnaire study included a large number of participants from a large number of groups in order to achieve as broad a representation as possible
also included a comparison population of nonsupport group attenders
address the following three questions: who participates in cancer support groups and what are their initial motives for joining
what group activities are most important and valuable to group members
what dissatisfactions exist, and when do they lead members to reduce or terminate their participation
speculate on the functions that support groups seem to serve for those who are attracted to them and how the appeal of support groups might be broadened to make them a more general resource for cancer patients (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
The general relationship between marital status and health is well documented in the research literature. Married individuals tend to exhibit less psychological distress than the unmarried (Bloom, Asher, & White, 1978; Ensel, 1986a; Menaghan & Lieberman, 1986; Pearlin & Johnson, 1977). The married are also shown to be less physically vulnerable. For example, disease morbidity and disability data show the nonmarried to be at higher risk (Bloom, Asher, & White, 1978; Verbrugge, 1979). For both blacks and whites, the married enjoy lower mortality rates than those who are nonmarried (Berkman & Syme, 1979; Bloom, Asher, & White, 1978). The married also have lower rates of utilization of health care facilities such as contact with physicians, admission to general and psychiatric hospitals and the use of clinics (Riessman & Gerstel, 1985; Spanier & Thompson, 1984). Further, marital disengagement, through separation, divorce, or death of the spouse, is detrimental to one’s mental health (Henderson & Argyle, 1985; Leslie & Grady, 1985; Wilcox, 1981).
Focuses on recent developments in behavioral genetics that yield insights into familial transmission of anger-related dispositions, attitudes, and behavior and that suggest implications for preventive intervention. The review addresses 3 major questions. First, what is the evidence for genetic origins of essential hypertension (EH) and to what extent do environmental influences and behavior patterns indicative of chronic anger moderate the expression of genetic vulnerabilities? Second, how is the emergence of chronic anger affected by genetically based temperament and early socialization? And third, by what pathways may family environments influence behavioral and emotional development, and what is the particular importance of "nonshared" experiences related to birth order, family conflict, and relationships with siblings? (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Illustrates through a selective review of the literature how social support, particularly in the form of family ties, may increase risk for negative rather than positive health outcomes. The role of the family as a source of stress and in the maintenance of dysfunctional stress and illness coping style is examined. Evidence is reviewed linking family relationships to the adoption and maintenance of behavioral and lifestyle risk factors for disease, including smoking, exercise, dietary and eating habits, and Type A behavior pattern. A framework for future research is provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Examined and compared burnout in 227 female and 243 male teachers. The Maslach Burnout Inventory was used to measure burnout. Two outcome measures of overall lifestyle and medication use were used, and coping strategies were assessed. Men scored significantly higher than women on depersonalization. A 2nd finding showed that men's quality of daily life was lower than that of females. At the same time, men experienced greater work stress. Women tended to put more energy into their friendships and to value them more. In women only, existential coping and internal control were associated with lower depersonalization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Fifty-eight married patients who had documented coronary artery disease and were enrolled in an outpatient cardiac rehabilitation program participated in a multicenter controlled trial comparing the effects of group counseling on psychosocial adjustment with and without spousal participation. The experimental intervention involved a ten-week series of weekly group sessions based on symbolic interactionist role theory. Data were collected at baseline, ten weeks, and six months after beginning counseling. Repeated measures analysis of variance documented significant differences among groups in patients' self-esteem (P <.01), with the highest increase in self-esteem occurring in the patient group who met without spouses and the only sustained decrease occurring in the control group. Anxiety, anger, and depression scores significantly decreased over time for all three groups (P <.05). Although the differences were not statistically significant, the patients who participated in the couples group counseling intervention reported the greatest decreases in these three affective states at the six-month follow-up. Results suggest that a group counseling program can be an effective component of outpatient cardiac rehabilitation by enhancing the long-term psychologic adjustment of the cardiac patients. However, the anticipated positive effect of spousal participation was not documented.
(C) Lippincott-Raven Publishers.
This study examined the effects of stressful environments on physiological and affective functioning among 131 maltreated school-aged children attending a summer day camp. Sixty-six nonmaltreated children also attending the camp served as a comparison group. Salivary Cortisol measures were obtained daily at 10:00 a.m. and at 4:00 p.m. Depression was measured using the Child Depression Inventory. Children with scores of 19 or higher were classified as depressed. Internalizing and externalizing behavior problems were determined from the Teacher Report Form of the Child Behavior Checklist. Children with t scores of 70 or higher were classified as having clinical levels of these problems. Maltreated children had slightly elevated afternoon Cortisol concentrations, but their morning concentrations did not differ significantly from those of nonmaltreated children. Neither clinical levels of depression, internalizing, or externalizing problems were predictive of the elevated afternoon values. Depression among maltreated children was, however, associated with altered activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis. Depressed maltreated children had lower morning Cortisol concentrations compared to nondepressed maltreated children and were more likely to show a rise rather than the expected decrease in Cortisol from morning to afternoon. These data replicated earlier findings. There was no evidence that depressed, nonmaltreated children exhibited this change in diurnal Cortisol activity.