Health Psychology, 2nd Edition

Throughout this section on coping, we have seen that drawing on social support
resources can make a positive contribution to coping. The role of strong social
networks and other types of social supports are explored in further detail in the next
section.

SOCIAL SUPPORT

What do we mean by social support? What should researchers be measuring when
they look at social support? Is it important to be part of community networks with
large numbers of social contacts, or is it more important to have one close relation -
ship perhaps with a spouse, cohabiting partner or close friend? Maybe the crucial
issue is not the nature of the relationship but whether people perform behaviours that
help out in a stressful situation. These are key questions addressed by social support
research.

Types of social support

Various classifications of social support exist. Researchers have distinguished between
structural and functional approaches to support (e.g. Uchino, Cacioppo and Kiecolt-
Glaser, 1996). Structural approaches examine the simple existence of networks and
friendships, whereas functional approaches look at the actual function that such social
contacts serve (e.g. providing practical help versus emotional support). Supports have
further been categorized into perceived and received supports, with perceived support
tending to show stronger relationships with health than received support (Uchino,
2009). In this section we examine research demonstrating the importance of being part
of a social network followed by some studies examining the importance of having a
small number of quality relationships. We then examine studies examining a range of
different functions of social support.

Social networks

In 1979, Berkman and Syme published what is now regarded as a classic study
demonstrating the value of social networks for health. The study, conducted in the
USA, followed up a random sample of almost 5,000 adults (aged 30–69) for 9 years
from 1965. At the start of the study the researchers recorded the presence and the extent
of four types of social ties – marriage, contact with the extended family and friends,
church membership and other formal and informal group affiliations. These were
combined to form a social network index. They found that both the individual ties
and the combined index predicted mortality over the next 9 years. Those with low

COPING AND SOCIAL SUPPORT 105

Consider each of the 10 ways of building resilience listed in Focus 5.4. How do

each of these relate to the coping strategies discussed earlier in this chapter?

ACTIVITY 5.1