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Social support and health

from Psychology, health and illness

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2014

By
Thomas A. Wills  and
Michael G. Ainette
Edited by
Susan Ayers ,
Andrew Baum ,
Chris McManus ,
Stanton Newman ,
Kenneth Wallston ,
John Weinman  and
Robert West
Thomas A. Wills
Affiliation:
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Michael G. Ainette
Affiliation:
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Susan Ayers
Affiliation:
University of Sussex
Andrew Baum
Affiliation:
University of Pittsburgh
Chris McManus
Affiliation:
St Mary's Hospital Medical School
Stanton Newman
Affiliation:
University College and Middlesex School of Medicine
Kenneth Wallston
Affiliation:
Vanderbilt University School of Nursing
John Weinman
Affiliation:
United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas's
Robert West
Affiliation:
St George's Hospital Medical School, University of London
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Summary

Social support and health

This chapter discusses the relation of social support to health outcomes. We consider approaches to the conceptualization of social support and discuss findings on the relation of social support to onset, progression or recovery from chronic illnesses which are major sources of mortality. An emphasis is on understanding physiological and behavioural mechanisms through which social support is related to health status. In a final section we summarize developments in this area, note current debates and suggest directions for clinical research.

Conceptualization and measurement of social support

There are two major approaches to conceptualizing social variables related to health. The structural approach focuses on assessing the structure of a person's network of social connections. In a typical network assessment the respondent is asked to name persons with whom he/she has a connection, typically including questions about spouse, family, friends, neighbours and workmates. Network assessments may also include questions about membership of community organizations (e.g. churches, professional or service organizations, fraternal organizations) and participation in sports, cultural activities and leisure/recreational activities. A score for network size is based on the total number of connections a person has; a score for social integration is based on the total number of different roles a person has in the community; and a score termed ‘social participation’ is based on the total amount of participation in activities that involve other people. These indices are taken to represent the extent of a person's integration in the community (Cohen, Underwood & Gottlieb, 2000).

Type
Chapter
Information
Cambridge Handbook of Psychology, Health and Medicine , pp. 202 - 207
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2007

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