Social Support, Coping, and Psychological Adjustment

Abstract

During the past two decades, research on social support has grown into a central domain of inquiry, informing and enriching several branches of the social sciences (see Cohen, 1992; Thoits, 1992). Today, research on social relationships is entering a new period of conceptual growth. Investigators have begun both to refine the definition of support and to uncover the mechanisms through which support operates. Our own work on the role of social support as a coping resource combines these two avenues of conceptual development in an integrative, predictive framework. We broaden the definition of social resources to include both positive and negative aspects of relationships, and we demonstrate a key mechanism through which social resources relate to adaptation.