Abstract my goal is to briefly review the progress that has been made in the assessment of
social support and to outline an agenda for future work/this goal demands discussion of two …

Definitions and concepts of social support are reviewed in an attempt to develop a
theoretical structure for future research. Fourteen techniques for measuring social support …

During the past two decades, the concept of social support has become immensely popular
in mental health research. It seems as if every research project even remotely concerned …

This editorial focuses on what may be the most salient conceptual distinction in the
expanding notion of" social support": The distinction between objective, structural definitions …

Although the social support literature is growing rapidly, this field of inquiry like so many
others is marked by fuzziness, a multitude of definitions of its major variables, and a lack of …

This chapter is intended to serve several purposes. We begin by reviewing the concept of
social support and its implications for assessment, an activity that has preoccupied social …

A rapidly expanding literature documents the effects of social support on physical and
psychological well-being. Although definitions vary, most include both tangible components …

This chapter considers the measurement of supportive functions that are perceived to be
available if needed (perceived support) or functions that are reported to be recently provided …

Distinctions among concepts and approaches to assessing social support are made, and
published generic and specialized measures of social support are reviewed. Depending on …

Social support literature has been criticized for lacking methodological clarity. The purpose
of this study was to conduct a systematic descriptive review of the social support literature …