Perceived Availability Of Support Research Articles

Support features, psychological reactance, and support outcomes: evaluating social network support for friends and daters

ABSTRACT This study examined the ways in which characteristics of support interactions associate with psychological reactance and, in turn, affect support outcomes. Recent studies have linked the content/quality of support messages to psychological reactance. We build on those findings by exploring associations between reactance and features of the support provider, recipient, and problem-context. We gathered data from 615 college students who described a disagreement with a dating partner (280) or friend (335). Participants reported their perceptions of perceived support availability and relational closeness with the support provider. They then evaluated a support message that varied in verbal person-centeredness. Results suggest a mediating role of psychological reactance on support outcomes. Significant mean differences were identified for support outcomes between the dating and friend contexts, but the associations between the variables were not statistically different between the groups. Discussion addresses supportive communication as a form of social influence that may induce psychological reactance.

The Mediating Role of Social Support in the Relationship between Operational Stress and Well-Being in Military Personnel

Introduction. Little is known about the activity of the military gendarmes in south-eastern Europe, which involves managing high-risk missions. In order to understand the factors underlying well-being in this population, the aim was to examine the relationship between operational stress and well-being, as well as the mediating role of social support and coping strategies. Methodology. This a cross-sectional corellational study of the relationship between perceived operational stress and well-being. Moreover, the mediating role of social support and coping strategies (seeking social support, positive reassessment, self-control) was examined. Results. Stress has a significant negative effect on well-being. Social support, but not the coping strategies, acts as a mediator of the relationship between operational stress and well-being. Discussions and conclusions.The results have implications for improving the overall well-being of military gendarmes, by developing intervention strategies focused on raising awareness of the importance of social support, increasing perceptions of available support, understanding supplier value and developing skills to provide support within the military organization.

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY USE AND SOCIAL CAPITAL: THE MODERATING EFFECT OF SOCIAL CLASS

Abstract This study aims to elucidate the heterogeneous associations between digital technology use and social capital by social class. The sample comprises 315 Korean older people who are 65 years old or older and participated in an online survey. Digital technology use was measured by the frequency of independent use in four areas of digital technology: primary, cultural, economic, and public areas. Social capital was measured with ten items asking the perceived support availability from both online and offline relationships. Social class was measured with education, household income, and subjective social position to reflect both objective and subjective aspects of social class. Using SPSS 25 PROCESS Macro 3.5, linear regression with moderation analyses was performed. A simple slope and the region of significance were tested for a significant interaction. Results showed that subjective social position significantly moderated the relationship between digital technology use and social capital. The positive association between digital technology use and social capital was strengthened when the level of subjective social position was higher. Education and household income did not moderate the relationship between digital technology use and social capital. The results of this study indicate that the effects of digital technology use vary depending on perceived aspects of social class. This study also demonstrates that people with higher social classes enjoy more benefits from digitalization, supporting digital inequality among the older population.

‘It’s a crutch’: A qualitative exploration of UK police employees’ experiences of at-risk alcohol consumption or abstinence

Abstract One-third of UK police employees drink to at-risk levels, with both at-risk drinking and abstinence being associated with poor mental health. This research aimed to qualitatively explore police employees’ experiences of at-risk alcohol use or abstinence, their motivations for drinking/abstaining, and the organizational culture of drinking. Semi-structured telephone interviews with 16 UK serving police employees (12 at-risk drinkers, four abstainers) were conducted and analysed using thematic analysis. Five themes were identified. Participants described the ‘organizational culture of drinking and changes over time’, outlining a cultural shift. Motivations for drinking were reflected across two themes, ‘alcohol as a coping mechanism’ and ‘alcohol and socializing’, with an additional theme representing ‘motivations for abstinence/cutting down’. The final theme highlighted the ‘contrasting perceptions of available support’. Though the drinking culture is no longer as prominent, using alcohol socially and to cope, is normalized. The implications and recommendations for practice are outlined.

Disclosing or Hiding Bullying Victimization: A Grounded Theory Study From Former Victims\u2019 Point of View

This study aimed to investigate the process of disclosing bullying victimization from the former victims’ point of view. Twenty-three individuals with prior experience of victimization at school were interviewed. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze the data, which generated a grounded theory of help-seeking in victimization, comprising factors and conditions that influenced the willingness to ask for help when bullied. We concentrated on disclosure barriers and facilitators in a school context to identify important factors, which comprised type of peer harassment, type and form of initial attack, perception of available support at school, and perception of peer support. In terms of the practical implications of the present study, the identification of disclosure tendencies could provide a basis for developing school policies to facilitate disclosure.

The relationship between psychological wellbeing, social support, and personality in an English police force

Police employees are exposed to a variety of complex, work-related stressors and are susceptible to experiencing reduced psychological wellbeing. To advance understanding of the personal and social factors underpinning psychological wellbeing in this population, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between psychological wellbeing, perceived support from colleagues, received support from colleagues and personality factors in police employees. A sample of 381 police employees from a county police force in England completed an online questionnaire assessing: psychological wellbeing; perceived support; received support; and personality factors. Psychological wellbeing was significantly and positively associated with perceived support from colleagues, received support from colleagues, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness to experience. Further investigation of these relationships using multiple logistic regression analysis found that perceived support from colleagues, received support from colleagues, extraversion, and emotional stability significantly predicted psychological wellbeing. Given growing concerns about psychological wellbeing in police forces, the findings could help to inform the promotion of psychological wellbeing across operational and non-operational police employees. The results suggest that increasing both perceptions of available support and the amount of support received among employees in police forces is important for enhancing psychological wellbeing in this population. Furthermore, police employees with lower levels of extraversion and emotional stability should also be considered for additional support to promote psychological wellbeing.

Coaches’ implementation strategies in providing social support to Singaporean university athletes: A case study

Coaches are effective providers of social support to their athletes. Although sport-specific measures of social support have been developed to better understand athletes’ perceptions of available support, limited amount of research has addressed how sport coaches implement specific social support strategies. The purpose of this study was to examine university coaches’ implementation strategies in providing various forms of social support to their athletes. A total of eight sport coaches from team and individual sports (four from each sport) were purposefully selected for this study. Coaches were individually interviewed. The interview transcripts were analysed using a thematic analysis. The results revealed that coaches from different sports shared similar strategies across emotional, esteem, informational and tangible dimensions, but with some distinguishable differences in the way these strategies were implemented. In documenting the lived experiences of sport coaches, key strategies valued highly among these coaches were highlighted, providing important implications for coaches to know how to incorporate these strategies into their coaching practice to better support athletes’ well-being and improve the quality of coaching. The findings also provide an implementation framework of social support that emphasizes key strategies for coaches to focus on in their coaching approaches.

Stress-Buffering Effects of Social Support on Depressive Problems: Perceived vs. Received Support and Moderation by Parental Depression

The impact of parental depressive problems on children’s depressive symptoms has been widely studied. The stress-buffering hypothesis states that social support acts as a protective factor between the impacts of stress from negative life events on physical and psychological health. The current study examined the stress-buffering hypothesis in terms of the relationship between parental depressive problems and emerging adult depressive problems. Participants included 708 emerging adults who reported on their parents’ and their own depressive problems as measured by the Adult Behavior Checklist and Adult Self Report, respectively. Participants also reported their perceived social support using a modified version of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, received social support using the Inventory of Socially Supportive Behavior, and negative life events using the Risky Behavior and Stressful Events Scale. Neither perceived nor received social support significantly moderated the aforementioned relationship. When parental depressive problems were added to the model, the three-way interaction among received social support, perceived stress, and paternal depressive problems on male depressive problems was significant (b = 0.22). Perceptions of available support may be more important than received support when buffering between stress and depression. Likewise, parental depression may have a stronger influence on emerging adult outcomes over and beyond negative life events. Other significant pathways and models were discussed.

The Dark Side of Addiction Support Forums: Impacts of Poor Quality and Insufficient Emotional Support on Perceived Support Availability and Health Efficacy

Research has identified many benefits of participating in online social support forums; however, the potential negative impacts of these communities have rarely been examined. This study explored the negative impacts of low quality (i.e., low person-centered) and insufficient (i.e., under-benefitted) emotional support on online support seekers. Health stigma and perceived support availability were also examined as mediating and moderating variables, respectively, in the model. An online survey of addiction support forum users (N = 321) was conducted. Results showed that for participants with low health stigma, low person-centered support decreased health self-efficacy through reducing perceived online emotional support availability, but under-benefitted support did not impact them. For those with high health stigma, low person-centered emotional support had positive effects on health self-efficacy through increasing perceived support availability, whereas under-benefitted support reduced health self-efficacy through decreasing perceived support availability. Importantly, a considerable proportion of participants (44.86%) reported under-benefitted emotional support. These findings suggest support forum participation can have negative impacts, but not all participants are adversely impacted equally. Instead, moderating variables, such as health stigma, can play an important role. Implications for future research and health care practitioners are discussed.

Seeing Others Receive Support Online: Effects of Self-Disclosure and Similarity on Perceived Similarity and Health Behavior Intention

Participation in online support groups leads to improved health. While viewing others’ interactions is one of the major activities in online support groups and lurkers comprise the majority of online support group participants, the literature on how participants benefit from viewing others’ posts and comments is sparse. Building upon the Social Penetration Theory and the narrative persuasion process, this study focused on two key features of online support groups, self-disclosure and similarity. It tested their direct effects on viewers’ perceived similarity with the poster and indirect effects on viewers’ behavior intention through three mediators: perceived similarity, identification, and perceived support availability. A 2 (similarity vs. dissimilarity) by 3 (factual vs. cognitive vs. emotional self-disclosure) online experiment involving 280 overweight adult participants was conducted. Findings showed similarity of health status led to increased level of perceived similarity and moderated the effects of self-disclosure. Self-disclosure and similarity increased dieting intention through increasing perceived similarity, identification, and perceived support availability. This study provides experimental evidence suggesting viewers can benefit from online support groups through a narrative persuasion process.

Suicidal thoughts and behaviour among South African adolescents living with HIV: Can social support buffer the impact of stigma?

BackgroundAdolescents living with HIV represent a high-risk population for suicidal ideation and attempts, especially in low-income settings. Yet little is known about risk and protective factors for suicide in this population. MethodsA moderated mediation model was employed to test for potential (a) effects of stigma on suicidal ideation and attempts, both direct and mediated through depression and (b) direct and stress-buffering effects of social support resources on depression and suicidal ideation and attempts, among 1053 HIV-positive 10–19-year-old adolescents from a resource-scarce health district in South Africa. The survey data was collected using full community sampling of 53 clinics and tracing to over 180 communities. Effects of two support resources were tested: perceived support availability from the adolescents’ social network and structured clinic support groups. Stigma was measured using the ALHIV-SS scale, depression through the CDI short form and social support through items from the MOS-SS. ResultsStigma was a risk factor for depression (B = 0.295; p < 001) and for suicidal thoughts and behaviour (B = 0.185; p < .001). Only perceived support availability was directly associated with less depression (B = −0.182, p < .001). However, both perceived support availability and support group participation contributed to the overall stress-buffering effects moderating the direct and indirect relationships between stigma and suicidal thoughts and behaviour. LimitationsThe data used in this study was self-reported and cross-sectional. ConclusionsFindings suggest that strengthening multiple social support resources for HIV-positive adolescents, through early clinic and community-based interventions, may protect them from experiencing poor mental health and suicidal tendencies.

Spousal Support for Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis: Getting the Wrong Kind Is a Pain.

Research indicates that perceived support availability is beneficial, with support available from the spouse particularly important for well-being. However, actual support mobilization has shown mixed associations with recipient well-being. The primary goal of the present study was to go beyond examining the effects of global perceptions of support on recipient outcomes. Instead, we examined the effects of several specific types of support that have been found to be important in the clinical literature. In this study, we followed both members of couples in which one partner was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Patients provided reports on pain for both mornings and evenings across 1 week. Both partners also reported esteem, solicitous, and negative support mobilization received by the patient. We found that patient pain tended to increase across the day following increases in patient reports of negative support receipt and partner reports of solicitous support provision. We also found that patient pain tended to decrease across the day when partners reported increased levels of esteem support provision. Reverse causation analyses indicated higher levels of patient pain may lead partners to increase solicitous support mobilization to the patient. Findings underscore the importance of examining both partners’ reports of support within a dyadic coping framework. They further suggest that not all forms of support are equally beneficial, calling for a finer grained assessment of specific support transactions.

The Psychological Experience of Awaiting Breast Diagnosis.

Each year, over 1 million women in the USA undergo diagnostic breast biopsies, many of which culminate in a benign outcome. However, for many patients, the experience of awaiting biopsy results is far from benign, instead provoking high levels of distress. To take a multifaceted approach to understanding the psychological experience of patients undergoing a breast biopsy. Female patients (N = 214) were interviewed at an appointment for a breast biopsy, just prior to undergoing the biopsy procedure. Pertinent to the current investigation, the interview assessed various patient characteristics, subjective health and cancer history, support availability, outcome expectations, distress, and coping strategies. The findings revealed a complex set of interrelationships among patient characteristics, markers of distress, and use of coping strategies. Patients who were more distressed engaged in more avoidant coping strategies. Regarding the correlates of distress and coping, subjective health was more strongly associated with distress and coping than was cancer history; perceptions of support availability were also reliably associated with distress. Taken together, the results suggest that patients focus on their immediate experience (e.g., subjective health, feelings of risk, perceptions of support) in the face of the acute moment of uncertainty prompted by a biopsy procedure, relative to more distal considerations such as cancer history and demographic characteristics. These findings can guide clinicians' interactions with patients at the biopsy appointment and can serve as a foundation for interventions designed to reduce distress in this context.

Does social support buffer the effects of occupational stress on sleep quality among paramedics? A daily diary study.

Given evidence suggesting a detrimental effect of occupational stress on sleep, it is important to identify protective factors that may ameliorate this effect. We followed 87 paramedics upon waking and after work over 1 week using a daily diary methodology. Multilevel modeling was used to examine whether the detrimental effects of daily occupational stress on sleep quality were buffered by perceived social support availability. Paramedics who reported more support availability tended to report better quality sleep over the week. Additionally, perceived support availability buffered postworkday sleep from average occupational stress and days of especially high occupational stress. Perceived support availability also buffered off-workday sleep from the cumulative amount of occupational stress experienced over the previous workweek. Those with low levels of support displayed poor sleep quality in the face of high occupational stress; those high in support did not show significant effects of occupational stress on sleep. (PsycINFO Database Record

Positive Expectations Regarding Aging Linked to More New Friends in Later Life.

Negative perceptions of aging can be self-fulfilling prophecies, predicting worse cognitive and physical outcomes. Although older adults are portrayed as either lonely curmudgeons or perfect grandparents, little research addresses how perceptions of aging relate to social outcomes. We considered whether more positive expectations about aging encourage older adults to maintain or bolster their social network connections and support. This study examined baseline, 12-, and 24-month questionnaire data from the Baltimore Experience Corps Trial, a longitudinal randomized volunteer intervention for adults aged 60 years and older. The associations between expectations regarding aging and different types of social support were tested using negative binomial and multiple regression models controlling for relevant covariates such as baseline levels of perceived support availability. Participants with more positive expectations at baseline made more new friends 2 years later and had greater overall perceived support availability 12 months later. Notably, only participants with at least average perceived support availability at baseline showed an association between expectations and later support availability. These results are the first to link overall expectations regarding aging to the social domain and suggest that the influence of perceptions of aging is not limited to physical or cognitive function.

A ‘GOOD SPACE’ CANNOT LAST FOREVER: PERCEIVED MECHANISMS EXPLAINING THE ROLE OF SOCIAL SUPPORT AS A HEALTH-PROMOTING RESOURCE FOR CAREGIVERS IN HIV-ENDEMIC SOUTH AFRICA

Despite a large body of evidence on the general “health-promoting” effects of social support, a lot less is understood about the processes mediating these effects. This analysis aimed to explore perceived mechanisms explaining the direct relationship between more social support and better mental health observed in a previous survey of primary caregivers of children living in an HIV-endemic, poor, urban community in South Africa (n = 1198). We conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with 24 caregivers who had participated in the survey. Findings of the thematic analysis point to psychological and behavioral processes, including factors associated with resilience; positive social control; perceived support availability; personal development and knowledge; and the maintenance of personal relationships to secure support for stressful times. Future research should explore the longer term benefits of human and social capital, deriving from social relations, for resilience and health, and how these may be shaped by cultural norms and worldviews.

Depth and Breadth Tactics in Support Seeking

Past support-seeking research has examined how much support people seek (strategic level) or the way they seek it (tactical level). However, there are questions that can only be answered by looking at both levels simultaneously. In this article, we investigated how the overall amount of support sought can be decomposed into two component tactics: the number of supporters one seeks (breadth) and the amount one seeks from each supporter (depth). In a 2-week diary study of support seeking, it was found that gender and attachment differences in overall support seeking were driven by the breadth rather than the depth of seeking. It was also found that breadth was associated with increases in perceived support availability, whereas both breadth and depth were associated with increases in self-esteem.

Examining the antecedents of challenge and threat states: The influence of perceived required effort and support availability

To date, limited research has explicitly examined the antecedents of challenge and threat states proposed by the biopsychosocial model. Thus, the aim of the present study was to examine the influence of perceived required effort and support availability on demand/resource evaluations, challenge and threat states, and motor performance. A 2 (required effort; high, low)×2 (support availability; available, not available) between-subjects design was used with one hundred and twenty participants randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions. Participants received instructions designed to manipulate perceptions of required effort and support availability before demand/resource evaluations and cardiovascular responses were assessed. Participants then performed the novel motor task (laparoscopic surgery) while performance was recorded. Participants in the low perceived required effort condition evaluated the task as more of a challenge (i.e., resources outweighed demands), exhibited a cardiovascular response more indicative of a challenge state (i.e., higher cardiac output and lower total peripheral resistance), and performed the task better (i.e., quicker completion time) than those in the high perceived required effort condition. However, perceptions of support availability had no significant impact on participants' demand/resource evaluations, cardiovascular responses, or performance. Furthermore, there was no significant interaction effect between perceptions of required effort and support availability. The findings suggest that interventions aimed at promoting a challenge state should include instructions that help individuals perceive that the task is not difficult and requires little physical and mental effort to perform effectively.

Apoyo social en universitarios españoles de primer año: propiedades psicométricas del Social Support Questionnaire-Short Form y el Social Provisions Scale

Perceived social support is a multifaceted construct conceptualized as one's cognitive appraisal as to the existence of a connection to others, based on trust, on whom one can rely on when necessary. The aim of this paper is to examine the psychometric properties of perceived social support, using the following scales: Social Support Questionnaire-Short Form (SSQ6) and Social Provisions Scale (SPS), on a sample of 855 first year university students – 575 females and 280 males – enrolled in 16 professional degrees at the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain). The SSQ6 Scale assesses the dimensions of perceived support availability and satisfaction, whilst the SPS Scale assesses its social support functions. The factor analysis conducted confirms the SSQ6 Scale's two-dimensional model and the SPS Scale's six-factor structure. Internal consistency of both scales is satisfactory, as is the evidence of validity obtained from the correlations between the two scales and their subscales. The results reveal that the Spanish version of the SSQ6 and SPS scales are reliable and valid measurements for assessing perceived social support amongst university students.

Are medical educators following General Medical Council guidelines on obesity education: if not why not?

BackgroundAlthough the United Kingdom’s (UK’s) General Medical Council (GMC) recommends that graduating medical students are competent to discuss obesity and behaviour change with patients, it is difficult to integrate this education into existing curricula, and clinicians report being unprepared to support patients needing obesity management in practice. We therefore aimed to identify factors influencing the integration of obesity management education within medical schools.MethodsTwenty-seven UK and Irish medical school educators participated in semi-structured interviews. Grounded theory principles informed data collection and analysis. Themes emerging directly from the dataset illustrated key challenges for educators and informed several suggested solutions.ResultsFactors influencing obesity management education included: 1) Diverse and opportunistic learning and teaching, 2) Variable support for including obesity education within undergraduate medical programmes, and 3) Student engagement in obesity management education. Findings suggest several practical solutions to identified challenges including clarifying recommended educational agendas; improving access to content-specific guidelines; and implementing student engagement strategies.ConclusionsStudents’ educational experiences differ due to diverse interpretations of GMC guidelines, educators’ perceptions of available support for, and student interest in obesity management education. Findings inform the development of potential solutions to these challenges which may be tested further empirically.