Significant Stress-buffering Effects Research Articles

The effect of social networks and social support on common mental disorders following specific life events

This study examined the association between life events and common mental disorders while accounting for social networks and social supports. Participants included 1920 adults in the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area Cohort who were interviewed in 1993-1996, of whom 1071 were re-interviewed in 2004-2005. Generalized estimating equations were used to analyze the data. Social support from friends, spouse or relatives was associated with significantly reduced odds of panic disorder and psychological distress, after experiencing specific life events. Social networks or social support had no significant stress-buffering effect. Social networks and social support had almost no direct or buffering effect on major depressive disorder, and no effect on generalized anxiety disorder and alcohol abuse or dependence disorder. The significant association between social support and psychological distress, rather than diagnosable mental disorders, highlights the importance of social support, especially when the severity of a mental health related problem is low.

Dispositional optimism buffers the impact of daily hassles on mental health in Chinese adolescents

The moderating effect of dispositional optimism on the link between daily hassles and mental health was investigated in a group of 345 Chinese high school students in Hong Kong. Optimism, daily hassles and mental health were measured by a Chinese version of the revised Life Orientation Test, the Inventory of High School Students’ Recent Life Experiences and the General Health Questionnaire, respectively. Results of multiple linear regression analyses show that optimism had a significant stress-buffering effect. Specifically, optimistic students tended to fare better than their pessimistic peers when the experience of hassles increased. These findings suggest that the stress-buffering effect of optimism, which has been demonstrated largely in student or adult samples, may be extended to younger age groups in a non-Western context.

The effects of perceived and received support on objective performance outcome

In this study, we examined the main and stress-buffering effects of perceived and received support on objective performance outcome. The sample consisted of 123 British male high-performance golfers with a mean age of 25.3 years (s=5.4). Participants completed measures of perceived support, stressors, stress, and received support before competitions. After the competitions, performance outcome (number of shots) was recorded. When the two types of support were considered separately, there were significant main effects for perceived (ΔR 2=0.08, b=−0.81, P<0.01) and received support (ΔR 2=0.05, b=−0.68, P<0.01) on performance. There were also significant stress-buffering effects for perceived (ΔR 2=0.03, b=−0.48, P=0.02) and received support (ΔR 2=0.06, b=−0.61, P<0.01). When both types of support were considered together, the significant main effect (ΔR 2=0.09, P<0.01) was primarily attributable to perceived support (b=−0.63, P=0.02). The significant stress-buffering effect (ΔR 2=0.06, P=0.01) was primarily attributable to received support (b=−0.56, P=0.04). These results demonstrate the beneficial influence of social support on performance. The findings highlight the need to recognize the distinction between perceived and received support, both in terms of theory and the design of social support interventions with athletes.

Evaluating the Stress-Buffering Function of Meaning in Life Among Older People

The purpose of this study is to see if a strong sense of meaning in life helps older adults cope more effectively with the effects of lifetime trauma. The data were obtained from a nationwide longitudinal survey of older adults (N = 1,093). Questions were asked about traumatic events arising at any point in an individual's life and depressive symptoms. The findings suggest that meaning tends to offset the deleterious impact of traumatic life events on depressive symptoms. However, these effects were observed only when the cross-sectional data were examined. In contrast, statistically significant stress-buffering effects were not present when the impact of trauma and meaning on change in depressive symptoms over time was evaluated. The findings from this study provide a basis for devising interventions to help older people cope more effectively with the effects of traumatic events that have arisen in their lives.

Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL) - College Version: Validation and Application in a Greek Sample

a) To validate the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL)--college version in a Greek population sample and b) To test the hypothesis that students scoring high on the ISEL present stronger resistance to stressful experiences and fewer psychological or physical problems. Rating scale assessment and analytical cross-sectional study. The ISEL was translated into Greek and then back-translated into English. A random sample of 145 students of the Faculty of Medicine completed: a) the translated version of the ISEL, b) the Symptom Check List 90-R (SCL-90-R), c) the Scale of Stressful Life Events (SSLE) and d) a questionnaire about physical health problems. Comparisons were conducted between the scores on the ISEL and the scores on the other measures. Correlations were also calculated between the scores on the Global Severity Index (GSI) of the SCL-90-R and SSLE, separately for students with high, fair and low social support, in order to assess the protective role of social support. The test-retest reliability and the internal consistency of the ISEL were also investigated. The students with a lower score in social support reported more psychological and somatic symptoms. The students with a higher score in social support were protected against the harmful effect of stressful events. The ISEL presents good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha: 0.452-0.752) and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC): 0.631-0.847). The ISEL is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring social support among Greek students. A higher score on the ISEL is correlated with a significant stress-buffering effect.

Matching social support with stressors: Effects on factors underlying performance in tennis

Abstract Objectives : This study: (a) examined the factor structure of a four-dimensional measure of social support designed specifically for this study; (b) matched social support dimensions with stressors in examining the main and stress-buffering effects of social support upon factors underlying performance in tennis. Method : 130 high level tennis players completed measures of social support, stressors, and performance factors. Results : Analyses of covariance structures largely provided support for the four-dimensional structure of the social support measure. Moderated hierarchical regression analyses revealed significant main and stress-buffering effects of the social support dimensions upon performance factors. Conclusions : The results illustrate the importance of matching specific types of sport-relevant social support with the needs elicited by the stressors under consideration. They also illustrate the need to pay close attention to the measurement instruments used in such studies. In this study, the finding of significant stress-buffering effects of social support may have been optimised through detailed attention to the measurement instruments chosen for the constructs under study. Applied implications would include developing an understanding of the beneficial role social support has to play in protecting players from the deleterious impact of stressors upon performance. Providers of support should, however, carefully match their support to the needs of the individual.

Developing measures to assess social support among homeless and poor people

Two commonly employed measures of social support were assessed in a sample of 144 homeless and poor adults. Both the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL) and Social Network Interview (SNI) demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties. Reliability coefficients over a one-week interval ranged from 0.62 to 0.85 for ISEL variables and 0.74 to 0.82 for several key SNI variables. A number of significant predictors of variables derived from one or both measures were identified which supported the construct validity of the measures and which were generally consistent with prior research on homeless and similar samples. These predictors included gender, current psychological distress, a diagnosis of severe mental illness, and amount of time spent homeless. Social support was found to have a significant stress-buffering effect in one of four analyses done: Stress was positively related to physical health symptoms for those with small SNI family networks (but not for those with larger networks). © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

The relation between stressful life events and adjustment in elementary school children: the role of social support and social problem-solving skills.

This study investigated the relation between stressful life events and adjustment in elementary school children, with particular emphasis on the potential main and stress-buffering effects of social support and social problem-solving skills. Third through fifth graders (N = 361) completed social support and social problem-solving measures. Their parents provided ratings of stress in the child's environment and ratings of the child's behavioral adjustment. Teachers provided ratings of the children's behavioral and academic adjustment. Hierarchical multiple regressions revealed significant stress-buffering effects for social support and problem-solving skills on teacher-rated behavior problems, that is, higher levels of social support and problem-solving skills moderated the relation between stressful life events and behavior problems. A similar stress-buffering effect was found for problem-solving skills on grade-point average and parent-rated behavior problems. In terms of children's competent behaviors, analyses supported a main effect model of social support and problem-solving. Possible processes accounting for the main and stress-buffering effects are discussed.

Life stress, social support, and anxiety in mid- and late-pregnancy among low income women.

The stability and multivariate effects of life stress, social support, and anxiety from mid to late pregnancy in a sample of low-income women were examined. The sample of 190 was approximately equally divided among black, Hispanic, and white groups. Scores from the two time periods were highly consistent. The multivariate effects of life stress and social support on anxiety were similar at the two time periods, explaining 30% to 34% of the variance in anxiety, over and above the effects of ethnicity or marital status. The prospective test (Time 1 variables predicting Time 2 anxiety), however, explained only 22% of the variance in anxiety. Significant stress-buffering effects from social support were found for both the Time 1 regression and the prospective test. The combination of high life stress and low partner support was associated with the highest anxiety. The findings confirmed that mid-pregnancy measures of these psychosocial variables were valid indicators of their level over the course of the remainder of the pregnancy, allowing for early assessment and intervention to improve perinatal well-being.