Effects Of Emotional Support Research Articles

'Stand by Me': The Effect of Emotional Support on Children's Testimonies

Many children who come into contact with the legal system following suspected maltreatment have difficulty disclosing the alleged abuse and providing rich and coherent testimonies. This study focuses on three interviews with alleged victims: two girls who were interviewed following reports of possible sexual abuse by their fathers and one boy who was interviewed following a report of possible sexual abuse by his mother. All the interviews were conducted by social workers trained in investigative interviewing techniques. The main aim of these case studies is to explore the effect of emotional, non-suggestive support on children's disclosure patterns and narratives during the forensic interview. These illustrative interviews emphasise the importance of employing emotional non-suggestive support in the forensic context, as this practice balances between the interests of the legal system and the best interests of the children involved. This balancing is a highly complicated task and represents social workers' contributions to the experiences of maltreated children in the legal system. The practical implications for social workers in the forensic context and other contexts are also discussed. Language: en

The influence of their parent’s abuse on children’s depression and the effects of emotional support

The influence of their parent’s abuse on children’s depression and the effects of emotional support

The experience and effects of emotional support: What the study of cultural and gender differences can tell us about close relationships, emotion, and interpersonal communication

Theorists claim that emotional support is one of the most significant provisions of close relationships, and studies suggest that the receipt of sensitive emotional support is associated with diverse indices of well–being. Research highlighting the beneficial outcomes of emotional support raises several important questions: Does emotional support play a similar role in the personal relationships of both men and women and those representing different ethnicities and nationalities? Is what counts as effective, sensitive, emotional support the same for everyone? And when seeking to provide emotional support, do members of distinct social groups pursue similar or different goals? This article reviews and synthesizes empirical research assessing gender, ethnic, and cultural differences in emotional support in the effort to ascertain the extent and import of these differences. Particular attention is given to demographic differences in (a) the value placed on the emotional support skills of relationship partners, (b) the intentions or goals viewed as especially relevant in emotional support situations, and (c) the evaluation of distinct approaches to providing emotional support. Theoretical, methodological, and practical implications of the findings are explored.

The effects of interpersonal and personal agency on perceived control and psychological well-being in adulthood.

A theoretical model that links social support with global beliefs in primary control and provides a developmental perspective on how normative age-related changes alter control beliefs was examined with data from 482 adults aged 18 to 93. Generalized belief in primary control was hypothesized to have a direct positive effect on psychological well-being and to arise from two distinct sources: (a) interpersonal agency (obtaining positive ends through interactions with others) and (b) personal agency (achieving desired outcomes on one's own behalf). Age was believed to affect both types of agency indirectly as a result of age-related changes in physical health and emotional support. Although physical health was presumed to have a direct positive effect on psychological well-being, the effect of emotional support on well-being was mediated by interpersonal agency and perceived primary control. Structural equation modeling analyses with the EQS 5.4 program revealed good model fit (goodness-of-fit index = .98, comparative fit index = .94, root mean square residual [RMR] = .02, standardized RMR = .05, root mean square error of approximation = .06) after a negative direct path from age to generalized beliefs in primary control was added to the a priori model.

Church-Based Emotional Support, Negative Interaction, and Psychological Well-Being: Findings from a National Sample of Presbyterians

The purpose of this study is examine the relationships between church-based emotional support, negative interaction, and psychological well-being among clergy, elders, and rank-and-file members of the Presbyterian Church USA. Based on identity theory, it is proposed that clergy will receive more emotional support and encounter more negative interaction than others in the church. It is further hypothesized that the impact of emotional support and negative interaction on well-being will be greatest among members of the clergy. Data from a nationwide survey of Presbyterians reveal that elders as well as clergy encounter more emotional support and negative interaction than rank-and-file members. The findings further indicate that the effects of emotional support and negative interaction on well-being are greater for clergy and elders than for rank-and-file members. The implications of these findings are discussed, along with several promising directions for future research.

The effect of emotional support on maternal oxytocin levels in labouring women

Objective. The presence of a supportive companion to women in labour has been found to reduce the duration of labour and the incidence of oxytocin augmentation. The mechanism which produces this improvement is unknown but work in animals suggests that environmental disturbance produces changes in endogenous oxytocin secretion. This study was carried out to assess maternal oxytocin secretion in relation to the presence of a supportive companion in labour.Study design. A randomised controlled trial involving allocation of unsupported women in the first stage of labour to a period of 1h with a supportive companion or 1h without. Sixteen women with uncomplicated singleton pregnancies who were in the active phase of the first stage of labour were studied. Maternal oxytocin levels were assayed by radioimmunoassay for 16min (eight specimens) before and after the support or control period.Results. There are no differences between maternal oxytocin levels in the two groups of patients. There was no difference in either of the two groups between the oxytocin levels pre and post the support/control period.Conclusions. One hour of birth support in the first stage of labour did not improve maternal oxytocin levels when compared to a control group.

Types of social support as predictors of psychiatric morbidity in a cohort of British Civil Servants (Whitehall II Study).

Few studies have examined prospectively both the direct and buffering effects of types of social support and social networks on mental health. This paper reports longitudinal associations between types of social support and psychiatric morbidity from the Whitehall II study. Social support was measured by the Close Persons Questionnaire and psychiatric morbidity by the General Health Questionnaire at baseline (1985-1988) and at first follow-up (1989) in 7697 male and female London-based civil servants aged 35-55 years at baseline. The cohort was followed up and baseline measures were used to predict psychiatric disorder measured by the General Health Questionnaire at second follow-up (1991-1993). Longitudinal analyses showed that low confiding/emotional support in men and high negative aspects of close relationships in men and women were associated with greater risk of psychiatric morbidity even after adjustment for baseline General Health Questionnaire score. There was no evidence of a buffering effect among men or women who experienced life events or chronic stressors. Controlling for a personality measure of hostility did not affect the observed relations. The present findings illustrate that different types of support are risk factors for psychological distress and that they operate in different ways for men and women. Direct effects of emotional support are predictive of good mental health in men and negative aspects of close relations predict poor mental health in both men and women. Emotional support is predictive of good mental health in women whereas, confiding alone is not.