Social Support

The amount of social support in a person's life not only has an enormous effect on their mental health, but on their physical health as well. Every form of illness and emotional distress is worsened by not having enough social support.

Research has helped us to learn quite a bit about social support. First, not all social support is positive. Some is problematic and can have a negative effect. Social support can be understood as having a certain level of depth (how intimate a connection is) and breadth (how many people someone interacts with). Both depth and breadth are important. Finally, some reseach suggests that the main ways that social support contributes to our well-being is by giving us a sense of belonging and self-worth.

Ways to Increase Your Social Support

In trying to increase the amount of support in your life, be aware that you are looking for a sense of belonging and self-worth. If you find some relationships in your life better at meeting those needs, put more of your energy there.

One of the best and most well-researched avenues to increase social support is to become a volunteer.

Support groups are an excellent way of reaching out for people who are shy. They can give you an easier way to meet people if unstructured social events are difficult for you. Also, websites such as MeetUp.com can help you to find activity partners and are a good way to meet new people. For a list of support groups click here.

Also, research has found that using the internet for information about chalenges you are facing (like you are doing right now) can help people feel more social support and less lonely.

Research on Social Support and Depression

C. S. Aneshensel and J. D. Stone. Stress and depression: a test of the buffering model of social support. Arch Gen Psyc. Vol. 39 No. 12, December 1982.

Among a large community sample (N = 1,000) of Los Angeles County adults interviewed in 1979, life-event losses and perceived strain were positively related to depressive symptomatology, while close relationships and perceived support were negatively related to these symptoms. Social support, instead of merely protecting an individual against the negative impact of stress, may itself be important in ameliorating depressive symptoms. Moreover, assuming that lack of perceived or actual social support is not just a manifestation of depression itself, our findings support the corollary that the lack of social support contributes to the creation of depressive symptoms.

LK George, DG Blazer, DC Hughes and N Fowler. Social support and the outcome of major depression. The British Journal of Psychiatry 154: 478-485 (1989).

One hundred and fifty middle-aged and elderly adults with a diagnosis of major depression were assessed initially as in-patients, and were reinterviewed 6-32 months later. Both size of social network and subjective social support were significant predictors of depressive symptoms at follow-up, with baseline depression scores and other predictors of outcome status statistically controlled. Subjective social support was most strongly associated with major depression; this effect was significantly stronger for middle-aged than older adults, and for men than women. Differences in the effects of marital status, size of social network, and subjective social support also suggest the importance of distinguishing between involvement in and quality of interpersonal relationships.

MOHR D. C. ; CLASSEN C. ; BARRERA M. JR ; The relationship between social support, depression and treatment for depression in people with multiple sclerosis. Psychological medicine. vol. 34, no3, pp. 533-541.

Studies have been fairly consistent in finding a relationship between social support and depression. This study examined the effects of treatment for depression on social support among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Treatment for depression was associated with significant increases in perceived social support, utilized social support and satisfaction with support, as well as reduction in need for emotional support. There were no significant changes in structural support or need for physical support.

Ornish, D. (1998). Love and Survival. HarperCollins: New York.

Reviews a large body of research relating various measures of intimacy to various health outcomes. Shows a consistent connection between breadth and depth of social support and overall health.

Revenson, T. et al. Social support as a double-edged sword: the relation of positive and problematic support to depression among rheumatoid arthritis patients. Soc Sci Med. 1991;33(7):807-13.

This study differentiated between postive and problematic social support in patients recently diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Found that positive support decreased depression, while problematic support increased it. A positive x problematic support interaction suggested that the costs of problematic support do not cancel out the benefits of positive support. Patients who reported both little support and a greater degree of problematic interactions experienced the highest level of symptoms. Emphasized the need to consider positive and negative aspects of support transactions conjointly in assessing their stress-reducing and health-protective potential.

Holahan CK, Holahan CJ. Self-efficacy, social support, and depression in aging: a longitudinal analysis. J Gerontol. 1987 Jan;42(1):65-8.

Showed that self-efficacy relating to social support (the belief that one has the capability to build a supportive social network) predicts levels of social support and depression one year later.

Russell DW, Cutrona CE. Social support, stress, and depressive symptoms among the elderly: test of a process model. Psychol Aging. 1991 Jun;6(2):190-201.

Effects of social support, negative life events, and daily hassles on depressive symptoms were assessed in 301 adults aged 65 or older, in person 3 times at 6-month intervals and by mail questionnaires every month over a 12-month period. Social support and initial levels of depressive symptomatology predicted number of daily hassles but not number of major life events.

Prince, M. et al. Social Support Deficits, Loneliness and Life Events as Risk Factors for Depression in Old Age. Psychological Medicine. 27(2):323-332, March 1997.

There was a strong, graded, relationship between the number of social support deficits (SSDs) and depression. Number of SSDs also related to age, handicap, loneliness and use of homecare services. Loneliness was itself strongly associated with depression; odds ratio 12.

Dean A, Kolody B, Wood P. Effects of social support from various sources on depression in elderly persons. J Health Soc Behav. 1990 Jun;31(2):148-61.

Although global measures of social support demonstrate significant effects on psychological and physical well-being, the differential significance of various support sources is largely unknown. Spouse, friends, and adult children were found to rank in descending order of importance; relatives show no effect. Low support may have stronger effects than unavailability of sources.

Logsdon MC, McBride AB, Birkimer JC. Social support and postpartum depression. Res Nurs Health. 1994 Dec;17(6):449-57.

Low-risk primiparous women (N = 105) were surveyed 1 month before and 1 month after delivery. In multiple regression, two social support discrepancy measures, prenatal depression and postpartal closeness to husband, correlated with postpartal depression and accounted for nearly 40% of its variance.

Bolton W, Oatley K. A longitudinal study of social support and depression in unemployed men. Psychol Med. 1987 May;17(2):453-60.

Interviews were conducted with 49 men just after they had become unemployed, and with a matched sample of 49 employed men. Follow-up interviews took place 6-8 months later. At follow-up 20 originally unemployed men were still without work, and were significantly more depressed than the employed. In a multiple regression analysis there was a significant employment X social support interaction which indicated that depression scores at follow-up were higher in those who remained unemployed and who had little social contact with others in the month before losing their jobs. Depression becomes likely when people lose a source of social interaction that is important to their sense of worth, and have no alternative means of experiencing this worth in other relationships.

Symister, P. Friend, R. The influence of social support and problematic support on optimism and depression in chronic illness: A prospective study evaluating self-esteem as a mediator. Health psychology. 2003, vol. 22, no2, pp. 123-129.

Eighty-six end-stage renal disease patients were assessed twice for social support, problematic support, and self-esteem. Adjustment was assessed twice by depression and optimism. Mediational analyses indicated that social support operated through self-esteem to influence optimism cross-sectionally and prospectively and depression cross-sectionally. Social support was associated with high self-esteem, which in turn increased optimism and was related to decreased depression.

Fogel, J. et al. Internet use and social support in women with breast cancer. Health Psychology. Vol 21(4), Jul 2002, 398-404.

The authors investigated the potential psychological benefits of Internet use for medical information by breast cancer patients. Of the 251 women approached, 188 were successfully interviewed (74.9%). Forty-two percent used the Internet for medical information related to breast health issues and did so for an average of 0.80 hr per week. The Interpersonal Support Evaluation List and the UCLA Loneliness Scale, with results controlled for covariates, showed that Internet use for breast health issues was associated with greater social support and less loneliness than Internet use for other purposes or nonuse. Breast cancer patients may obtain these psychological benefits with only a minimal weekly time commitment.

Hagerty, B. Williams, A. The Effects of Sense of Belonging, Social Support, Conflict, and Loneliness on Depression. Nursing Research. 48(4):215-219, July/August 1999.

A sample of clients with major depressive disorder and students in a midwestern community college participated in the study by completing questionnaires. Social support had only an indirect effect on depression, and this finding supported the buffer theory of social support. Sense of belonging was a better predictor of depression.

This site is maintained by Tim Desmond, MFTI 51287
copyright © 2007 Tim Desmond, MA. Last updated 31Jul2008.
Depression Treatment Works displays no paid advertising.