Close Relationships and Social Support: Implications for the Measurement of Social Support

Background. Studies on the direct and buffering effects of social support have not examined psychiatric sickness absence and few studies have considered support both at home and at work. This study addresses prospectively the effects of chronic stressors and social supports, at home and at work, on psychiatric sickness absence rates.Methods. Sociodemographic factors, health and social support were measured at baseline, and short and long spells of sickness absence were measured prospectively over a 5-year period. The participants were a subsample of 4202 male and female civil servants, aged 35–55 years at baseline, from an occupational cohort, the Whitehall II Study, who completed detailed social support questions.Results. Support from colleagues and supervisors at work is related to lower risk of short spells of psychiatric sickness absence, particularly for those also receiving high levels of negative aspects of close relationships from their closest person outside work. Negative aspects of close relationships from the closest person increase the risk of taking long spells of psychiatric sickness absence in men. High levels of material problems increase the risk of short spells of sickness absence.Conclusions. Negative aspects of close relationships may have an aetiological role in non-psychotic psychiatric disorder. Social support at work appears to protect against short spells of psychiatric sickness absence. This potentially implies that levels of short spells of absence might be reduced by increasing support at work. Conversely, emotional support at home may influence absence-related behaviour and encourage a person to take absence at a time of illness.

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THE COST OF SOCIAL SUPPORT FOLLOWING NEGATIVE LIFE EVENTS: CAN ADVERSITY INCREASE COMMITMENT TO CARING IN CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS?

Life Crises and Experiences of Loss in Adulthood ◽

10.4324/9781315807171-34 ◽

2014 ◽

pp. 493-508

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Life Events ◽

Close Relationships ◽

Negative Life Events ◽

The Cost

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Personal goals and social support in close relationships: Effects on relationship mood and marital satisfaction.

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology ◽

10.1037/0022-3514.71.5.1006 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 71 (5) ◽

pp. 1006-1019 ◽

Cited By ~ 100

Author(s):

Joachim C. Brunstein ◽

Gabriele Dangelmayer ◽

Oliver C. Schultheiss

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Marital Satisfaction ◽

Close Relationships ◽

Personal Goals

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Su1607 – Social Strain and Low Social Support Across Close Relationships and IBS – How are They Related – a Norwegian Twin Study

Gastroenterology ◽

10.1016/s0016-5085(19)38346-5 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 156 (6) ◽

pp. S-581

Author(s):

May-Bente Bengtson ◽

Julia Kutschke ◽

Jennifer R. Harris

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Twin Study ◽

Close Relationships ◽

Social Strain

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Advice in Intimate Relationships

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190630188.013.5 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sara Branch ◽

Elizabeth Dorrance Hall

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Best Practices ◽

Romantic Relationships ◽

Attachment Theory ◽

Intimate Relationships ◽

Close Relationships ◽

Turbulence Theory ◽

Confirmation Theory ◽

Relational Context ◽

Interdependence Theory

Friendships and romantic relationships are characterized by enduring concern for each other’s welfare. It is perhaps not surprising, then, that advice, a form of social support, is common, expected, and even desired in intimate relationships. While much of the research on advice samples from friendships and romantic relationships, the influence of the specific relational context is often overlooked. This chapter addresses this limitation with a synthesis of theory and research from relationship science. Specifically, it explores the potential contributions of interdependence theory (Kelley & Thibaut, 1978), relationship turbulence theory (Solomon, Knobloch, Theiss, & McLaren, 2016), attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969), and confirmation theory (Dailey, 2006) to understand how relationship cognitions affect advice outcomes. The chapter also discusses the intersections between these theories as applied to advice and shows how these theories can guide best practices of advising in close relationships.

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