Social support and health: The role of affiliative need as a moderator

Abstract

This study sought to demonstrate that different types of support (e.g., socioemotional vs material) have differential effects upon well-being as a function of affiliative need. Items on a measure of recent social support were categorized into the two types of support. Subsequently, each subscale was included separately in regression models, along with measures of affiliative need and negative life events, to predict physical and psychological impairment. As expected, material support buffered all individuals from the deleterious effects of negative life events, regardless of affiliative need. However, only low affiliative need individuals benefited from socioemotional support, also as predicted. The findings were explained in terms of the degree to which each type of support is perceived as an instrumental coping resource versus a form of intrinsic gratification. High affiliative need individuals presumably are influenced largely by the relationship aspects of socioemotional support, while low affiliative need individuals are influenced by its instrumental potential.