Why Is Enacted Social Support Associated With Increased Distress? Using Simulation to Test Two Possible Sources of Spuriousness

Although perceiving that social support is available is often associated with psychological benefits in times of stress, there is evidence that actually receiving support is associated with increased distress. To assess whether this latter association could be spurious, the authors conducted compute...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Personality & social psychology bulletin 2006-01, Vol.32 (1), p.52-65
Main Authors: Seidman, Gwendolyn, Shrout, Patrick E., Bolger, Niall
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Psychological
Depression - psychology
Humans
Models, Psychological
Psychological tests
Social Support
Stress
Stress, Psychological - psychology
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Summary:Although perceiving that social support is available is often associated with psychological benefits in times of stress, there is evidence that actually receiving support is associated with increased distress. To assess whether this latter association could be spurious, the authors conducted computer simulation studies to examine two theoretical models that could give rise to it. Study 1 examined a process whereby distress leads to provision of support rather than the reverse. Study 2 examined a process whereby an adverse event increases both support and distress. In both cases, substantial spurious associations were produced only when parameter values were markedly unrealistic. It was concluded that these possible sources of spuriousness are insufficient to explain the association between support and distress found in naturalistic studies.
ISSN:0146-1672
1552-7433
DOI:10.1177/0146167205279582