This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Correction  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Stress Buffering or Independent Effects?

Glenys Parry, DiplPsych; David A. Shapiro, PhD

Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1986;43(4):315-323.

Abstract
• Several authors have suggested that social support reduces the risk of psychiatric disorder by providing a "buffer" against the adverse effects of stressful events. Others have proposed, in contrast, that social support is beneficial irrespective of life stress. We addressed this issue in a community survey of 193 working class mothers by measuring social support, threatening life events, psychiatric symptomatology, and psychological well-being via a detailed assessment combining a standardized interview and case-identification procedure with self-report questionnaires yielding continuous measures of distress and well-being. Subject selection minimized confounding between support and events. The effects of life stress and social support were found to be largely independent of one another, although detailed analysis suggested that the conclusions drawn in such studies are affected by the measures and statistics used.

Author Affiliations
From the Department of Psychiatry, University of Southampton Faculty of Medicine, Southampton, United Kingdom (Ms Parry); and the MRC/ESRC Social and Applied Psychology Unit, The University, Sheffield, United Kingdom (Dr Shapiro).

Footnotes
Accepted for publication Jan 28, 1985.

Reprint requests to MRC/ESRC Social and Applied Psychology Unit, The University, Sheffield S10-2TN, United Kingdom (Dr Shapiro).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

The Role of Marital Quality in Physical Health During the Mature Years
Bookwala
J Aging Health 2005;17:85-104.
ABSTRACT  

Women's Confidants Outside Marriage: Shared or Competing Sources of Intimacy?
O'Connor
Sociology 1991;25:241-254.
ABSTRACT  

Husbands' Layoff and Wives' Mental Health: A Prospective Analysis
Penkower et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1988;45:994-1000.
ABSTRACT  

Psychic Coping Behaviour and the Role of Social Support
Oei
Int J Soc Psychiatry 1987;33:5-12.
ABSTRACT