Social support
[32] Social support can come from a variety of sources, including (but not limited to): family, friends, romantic partners, pets, community ties, and coworkers.
For example, the interpersonal-connection-behaviors framework[41] reconciles conflicts in the research literature by suggesting that social network site use is likely to contribute to well-being when users engage in ways that foster meaningful interpersonal connection.
[41] Support sought through social media can also provide users with emotional comfort that relates them to others while creating awareness about particular health issues.
Coulson claims online support groups provide a unique opportunity for health professionals to learn about the experiences and views of individuals.
While preliminary data often suggest such programs may be well received by users and may yield benefits, additional research is needed to more clearly establish the effectiveness of many such interventions.
[14] Social support can simultaneously function as a problem-focused (e.g. receiving tangible information that helps resolve an issue) and emotion-focused coping strategy (e.g. used to regulate emotional responses that arise from the stressful event)[58] Social support has been found to promote psychological adjustment in conditions with chronic high stress like HIV,[59] rheumatoid arthritis,[60] cancer,[61] stroke,[62] and coronary artery disease.
This study also shows that the social support acts as a buffer to protect individuals from different aspects in regards to their mental and physical health, such as helping against certain life stressors.
[78][79] However, more recent research reveals the role of religiosity/spirituality in enhancing social support may be overstated and in fact disappears when the personality traits of "agreeableness" and "conscientiousness" are also included as predictors.
Due to poor past experiences or educated speculation, the perception of benefits for seeking social support is relatively low.
Self-efficacy may also explain why people with eating disorders do not seek social support, because they may not know how to properly express their need for help.
Creating a strong social support system for those affected by eating disorders may help such individuals to have a higher quality of both mental and physical health.
One particular study documented the effects of social support as a coping strategy on psychological distress in response to stressful work and life events among police officers.
D'Ercole hypothesizes that friends of a single parent offer a chance to socialize, match experiences, and be part of a network of peers.
Additionally, co-workers can provide a community away from domestic life, relief from family demands, a source of recognition, and feelings of competence.
D'Ercole also found an interesting statistical interaction whereby social support from co-workers decreased the experience of stress only in lower income individuals.
The author hypothesizes that single women who earn more money are more likely to hold more demanding jobs which require more formal and less dependent relationships.
In fact, a meta-analysis by Brewin et al. found that social support was the strongest predictor, accounting for 40%, of variance in PTSD severity.
[90] In the face of such mounting stress, students naturally seek support from family and friends in order to alleviate psychological distress.
[91] Students who reported social support were found more likely to engage in less healthy activities, including sedentary behavior, drug and alcohol use, and too much or too little sleep.
Conversely, higher rates of social support have been associated with numerous positive outcomes, including faster recovery from coronary artery surgery,[99] less susceptibility to herpes attacks,[100][101] a lowered likelihood to show age-related cognitive decline,[102] and better diabetes control.
[107] There is sufficient evidence linking cardiovascular, neuroendocrine, and immune system function with higher levels of social support.
[65] One problem with this theory is that, as described previously, stress buffering is not seen for social integration,[125] and that received support is typically not linked to better health outcomes.
Of the Big Five personality traits, agreeableness is associated with people receiving the most social support and having the least-strained relationships at work and home.
Receiving support from a supervisor in the workplace is associated with alleviating tensions both at work and at home, as are inter-dependency and idiocentrism of an employee.
[139] Because correlation does not equal causation, going to those meeting does not cause one to abstain from divulging back into old habits rather that this been shown to be helpful in establishing sobriety.
Providing long-term care or support for someone else is a chronic stressor that has been associated with anxiety, depression, alterations in the immune system, and increased mortality.
[141][142] Thus, family caregivers and "university personnel" alike have advocated for both respite or relief, and higher payments related to ongoing, long-term care giving.
Together with an external pressure on efficiency, a collusive and injunctive system develops that is resistant to change, supports their activities and prohibit others from performing their major tasks.
It is important to note that when the perceived stress level is the same, men and women have much fewer differences in how they seek and use social support.
Some cultural explanations are that Asians are less likely to seek it from fear of disrupting the harmony of their relationships and that they are more inclined to settle their problems independently and avoid criticism.
