Good to have but not to use: Differential impact of perceived and received support on well-being

Research documents a positive association between perceived support availability and well-being in later life. Other work shows that actually receiving support can have negative effects. Instrumental support receipt may be negative for persons with chronic impairment as it may emphasize their inability to accomplish daily tasks. This study contrasted the impact of perceived and received affective and instrumental support on adaptation to chronic vision impairment in 570 elders. After accounting for the significant, positive impact of perceived support, receiving instrumental support had a negative effect, while receiving affective support had a positive effect on well-being. Findings underscore the importance of distinguishing the association of multiple support components and outcomes to increase understanding of how support affects adaptation in later life.

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