A lack of social connections has long been noted as a risk factor for poor physical health
outcomes. A burgeoning body of research also suggests that the positive or negative …

Social relationships serve important functions in people's everyday lives. Epidemiological
research indicates that supportive relationships may also significantly protect individuals …

Social support has been found to be health promoting, health restoring, and associated with
a decrease in mortality risk. It appears to protect individuals from the negative effects of …

Recent findings often show a robust relationship in which social and emotional support from
others can be protective for health. The next generation of studies must explain, however …

The intent of this chapter is to provide researchers with the background to make informed
decisions when selecting measures of social support. Our premise is that these decisions …

Although there has been a substantial effort to establish the beneficial effects of social
support on health and well-being, relatively little work has focused on how social support …

Social support is defined as the perceived or actual receipt of social resources (eg, tangible,
emotional) and is one of the most reliable predictors of disease morbidity and mortality. In …

Highlights•Supportive relationships can protect against disease risk associated with
adversity.•Social relationships can also be a source of stress and physiological …

Contemporary models postulate the importance of psychological mechanisms linking
perceived and received social support to physical health outcomes. In this review, we …

Social support has been reliably related to physical health outcomes. However, the
conceptual basis of such links needs greater development. In this article, I argue for a life …