Social status, social support, and stress: a comparative review of the health consequences of social control factors

Abstract

The purpose of this review is to present evidence that two fundamental relationship dimensions, social status and social support, play significant roles in protecting individuals from stressors, stress responding, and related health problems. While there is a substantial literature on the link between social support and health, the role of social status has been largely overlooked in health psychology research. Research with humans and animals, in a variety of disciplines, demonstrates the effects of both status and support on acute stress responding and long-term health outcomes. Taken together, this research suggests that status and support serve to increase the individual's control over the social and physical environment, thus reducing the experience and effects of stress. The proposed social control model has implications for future research, including development of new measures, identification of health-relevant relationships, and generation of research questions to further illuminate our understanding of how social interactions affect health.