Variations in Social Support Associated with Gender, Ethnicity, and Age

Much of the research conducted on social support over the last decade has focused on specific population groups. Until recently, very little work compared social support across groups. The importance of this type of research is discussed, including the potential role of social support in explaining subpopulation differences in psychological distress. Studies are reviewed that compare support and support effects across sex, ethnic, and age groups. In general, the findings suggest that levels of some aspects of support and the effectiveness of support components vary across these subgroups. Even the stress-buffering versus direct-effect functions of social support may vary across subgroups, as illustrated by one study focusing on social class. The implications of these studies and directions for future research are discussed.

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