The relationship between self-reported received and perceived social support: a meta-analytic review

The implication of alexithymia in personality disorders: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Alexithymia, characterized by difficulty identifying and expressing emotions, is often associated with various psychiatric disorders, including personality disorders (PDs). This study aimed to explore the relationship between alexithymia and PD, focusing on their common origins and implications for treatment.

METHODS

A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines using databases such as MEDLINE (PubMed), Scopus, and Web of Science. The inclusion criteria were studies assessing adults with DSM-5-diagnosed personality disorders using validated alexithymia scales. The Newcastle‒Ottawa Scale was used to assess the quality of the included studies.

RESULTS

From an initial yield of 2434 citations, 20 peer-reviewed articles met the inclusion criteria. The findings indicate a significant association between alexithymia and personality disorders, particularly within Clusters B and C. Patients with these disorders exhibited higher levels of alexithymia, which correlated with increased emotional dysregulation and interpersonal difficulties. The review also highlighted the comorbidity burden of conditions such as psychosomatic disorders, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, suicidal behavior, and substance use disorders.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings underscore the need for integrating alexithymia-focused assessments into clinical practice to enhance therapeutic approaches, allowing for more personalized and effective interventions. Addressing the emotional processing challenges in patients with personality disorders could significantly improve patient outcomes. Future research should prioritize establishing clinical guidelines and conducting longitudinal studies to explore the relationship between alexithymia and specific personality disorder subtypes, ensuring the practical translation of these findings into clinical practice.

general psychopathology factor in Chinese adolescents and its correlation with trans-diagnostic protective psycho-social factors

BACKGROUND

Comorbidity in mental disorders is prevalent among adolescents, with evidence suggesting a general psychopathology factor ("p" factor) that reflects shared mechanisms across different disorders. However, the association between the "p" factor and protective factors remains understudied. The current study aimed to explore the "p" factor, and its associations with psycho-social functioning, in Chinese adolescents.

METHODS

2052 students, aged 9-17, were recruited from primary and secondary schools in Shanghai, China. Multiple rating scales were used to assess psychological symptoms and psycho-social functioning. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to verify the fit of models involving different psychopathology domains such as externalizing, internalizing, and the "p" factor. Subsequently, structural equation models were used to explore associations between the extracted factors and psycho-social functioning, including emotion regulation, mindful attention awareness, self-esteem, self-efficacy, resilience, and perceived support.

RESULTS

The bi-factor model demonstrated a good fit, with a "p" factor accounting for 46 % of symptom variation, indicating that the psychological symptoms of Chinese adolescents could be explained by internalizing, externalizing, and the "p" factor. Psychologically, a higher "p" was positively correlated with emotion suppression and negatively correlated with mindful attention awareness, emotion reappraisal, self-esteem, and resilience. Socially, a higher "p" was associated with decreased perceived support.

LIMITATIONS

Only common symptoms were included as this study was conducted at school. Furthermore, the cross-sectional design limited our ability to investigate causal relationships.

CONCLUSIONS

A "p" factor exists among Chinese adolescents. Individuals with higher "p" factor levels were prone to experience lower levels of psycho-social functions.

The association between perceived social support and mental health in combat-injured and uninjured male UK (ex-)military personnel: A cross-sectional study

Social support is a key determinant of mental health across multiple populations and contexts. Little is known about social support among UK (ex-)military personnel, especially those with combat injuries following deployment to Afghanistan. This study aimed to investigate the level of perceived social support and its associations with mental health among injured and uninjured UK (ex-)military personnel. An analysis of baseline data from the Armed Services Trauma Rehabilitation Outcome (ADVANCE) prospective cohort study was performed. A representative sample of male UK combat-injured personnel was compared with a frequency-matched sample of uninjured personnel. Validated questionnaires were completed including the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). MSPSS score was transformed using linear splines with a knot at ≥ 55. Multivariable logistic regression analyses examined associations between perceived social support and mental health. In total, 521 combat-injured participants (137 with amputations) and 515 uninjured participants were included. Median MSPSS score was 65 (interquartile range [IQR] 54-74). Injured and uninjured participants reported similar MSPSS scores, as did those injured with amputations, and non-amputation injured participants. For each one unit increase in MSPSS score (for scores ≥55), the odds of post-traumatic stress disorder decreased (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.93, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.91 to 0.96). No such association was found with MSPSS scores below 55 (AOR 0.99, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.01). Similar results were observed for depression and anxiety. Perceived social support may be a target for intervention within this population, irrespective of injury status.

Health Information Processing and Symptom Management in a Cross-Cultural Setting: Insights from IBD Patients

The affordances of social media, have significantly transformed how patients seek and process health information online, including those with chronic diseases like irritable bowel disease (IBD). Few studies have explored how information processing may impact symptom management. Guided by social cognitive theory, this study investigates how Chinese and U.S. patients (N = 838) process health information in a cross-cultural setting and the impact on symptom management. It finds that efficient information processing improves treatment understanding and symptom management for IBD patients, regardless of their cultural backgrounds. It also reveals a U-shaped quadratic relationship between IBD severity and emotional and peer support, indicating varying support needs at different IBD stages. These findings provide valuable insights for healthcare professionals, patients, and caregivers in designing interventions for chronic diseases. The study underscores the importance of recognizing the dynamics of health information processing and the need for a more nuanced approach to patient support and care.

A Longitudinal Mixed-Methods Characterization of Family Support from Adolescence to Young Adulthood in Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities

Although caregiving responsibilities and need for support persist and evolve across the life course in families with autistic youth or youth with other developmental disabilities (DDs), little is known about support during their child's adulthood years. Therefore, the present study used a mixed-methods approach to examine change and stability in formal and informal family support across the transition to adulthood. Caregivers of 126 individuals with autism or DDs completed a modified version of the Family Support Scale, including open-ended questions, at five time points from adolescence (age 16) into young adulthood (age 22). Caregivers reported that informal support from family members was the most frequently used, helpful, and valued source of support with relative stability across time. In contrast, the reported helpfulness, use, and value of formal support (e.g., professionals, schools) for caregivers declined over time. Qualitative content analyses revealed characteristics of highly valued support included support type (e.g., instrumental or emotional) and features of the support source (e.g., their understanding). There was a shift to valuing emotional support more than instrumental support over time, especially for caregivers of less able adults. Partnership and dependability emerged as highly valued features of the support source. These findings fit within a social convoy perspective and likely reflect the "service cliff" experienced by autistic individuals or people with DDs and their families. As social networks shrink over time and formal services are less readily available in adulthood, remaining sources of support, particularly from family members, become increasingly important.

Social Support at School for Students with Sensory Disabilities

Social support is the gratification of basic social needs (affection, belonging, esteem or approval, security, identity) through interaction with others. Social support at school allows students to perceive themselves as competent during learning and to enjoy school in general. Little is known about social support at school for students with sensory disabilities. This review aims to synthesize findings from studies examining social support at school for students with hearing and visual impairments. A search of computerized databases was supplemented by a manual search of the bibliographies of the main publications. The synthesis of the literature suggests that all students need adequate support devices in class and properly trained support teachers. However, visually impaired students are more likely to have access to resources compared to those with hearing impairments. Students with visual impairments attending regular schools are more positive about the availability of resources than those with hearing impairments attending special schools. Overall, senior secondary school students indicate higher resource availability than junior secondary school ones. Still, very few studies have investigated social support for students with sensory disabilities. Thus, further research is needed to confirm these results.

The Mayo Leadership Impact Index Adapted for Matrix Leadership Structures: Initial Validity Evidence

Importance

Physician burnout has reached crisis levels. Supportive leadership is one of the strongest drivers of physician well-being, and monitoring supervisor support is key to developing well-being focused leadership skills. Existing measures of leader support were designed within "direct report" supervision structures limiting their applicability to matrixed leadership reporting structures where direct reports are not the predominant norm. Antecedently, no measure of leadership support is validated specifically for implementation in matrixed leadership structures.

Objective

Adapt and validate the Mayo Leadership Impact Index (MLII) for settings with matrixed leadership structures.

Design

A psychometric validation study utilizing classical test theory and item response theory.

Setting

A tripartite hospital system in the southwestern US.

Participants

Physician-respondents to a 2023 cross-sectional survey.

Main Outcomes and Measures

After pilot testing, the adapted MLII was examined using a unidimensional graded response model and confirmatory factor analyses. Convergent validity was investigated via correlations with professional fulfillment, perceived autonomy support, self-valuation, and peer connectedness/respect. Divergent validity was tested via correlations with burnout.

Results

Of the three candidate revisions of the MLII, the 9-item adaptation was selected for its superior validity/reliability indices. Standardized Cronbach's and Ordinal alpha coefficients were 0.958 and 0.973, respectively. CFA loadings exceeded 0.70 (p < 0.001), and coefficients of variation (R2) exceeded 0.60 for all items. GRM slope parameters indicated "high" to "very high" item discrimination. Items 2, 5, and 8 were the most informative. Positive correlations of the adapted MLII with professional fulfillment, perceived autonomy support, and peer connectedness/respect were observed, supporting convergent validity. Negative correlation with overall burnout supports divergent validity.

Conclusions and Relevance

The findings provide evidence of the adapted MLII's validity, reliability, and appropriateness for implementation within matrixed leadership settings. Prior to this study, no leadership support measure had been validated for use among the growing number of healthcare systems with matrixed leadership reporting structures.

Does Social Support Moderate the Relationship Between Frailty and Functional Ability Trajectory Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults?

BACKGROUND

Functional ability is the important prerequisite to live independently and achieve aging in place, which depends on the complex interaction of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Identifying the trends and influencing factors of functional ability would contribute to the accurate assessment and intervention of geriatric health. This study aimed to disentangle the moderating effect of 3 types of social support, namely objective support, subjective support, and support utilization, on the relationship between frailty and functional ability trajectories.

METHODS

This was a secondary analysis using data from a prospective 3-wave study with a sample of 777 Chinese community-dwelling older adults. Social support was assessed using the Social Support Rating scale. Frailty was assessed using the FRAIL scale. Functional ability was measured by the Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living scale. Latent growth curve models were implemented to test their relationships.

RESULTS

Objective support but not subjective support or support utilization moderated on the relationship between frailty and functional ability slope. Functional ability decline over time was buffered by objective support among robust individuals but exacerbated among (pre)frail individuals.

CONCLUSIONS

The moderating effect of social support on the relationship between frailty and functional ability trajectory varies by support types, which reminded that social support may be a promising intervention target to maintain functional independence for frail individuals, opening up a new perspective on social support in the field of disability prevention. Effective interventions should particularly address objective support in conjunction with empowering the frail older population to optimize the trajectory of functional ability.

Relevance of spirituality and perceived social support to mental health of people with pre-existing mental health disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal investigation

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic and related measures have negatively impacted mental health worldwide. The main objective of the present longitudinal study was to investigate mental health in people living in Tyrol (Austria) and South Tyrol (Italy) during the COVID-19 pandemic and to report the prevalence of psychological distress among individuals with versus those without pre-existing mental health disorders (MHD) in the long-term (summer 2020-winter 2022). Here, we specifically focus on the relevance of spirituality and perceived social support in this regard.

METHODS

161 individuals who had been diagnosed with MHD and 446 reference subjects participated in this online survey. Electronic data capture was conducted using the Computer-based Health Evaluation System and included both sociodemographic and clinical aspects as well as standardized questionnaires on psychological distress, spirituality, and the perception of social support.

RESULTS

The prevalence of psychological distress was significantly higher in individuals with MHD (36.6% vs. 12.3%) and remained unchanged among both groups over time. At baseline, the perception of social support was significantly higher in healthy control subjects, whereas the two groups were comparable in regards of the subjective relevance of faith. Reference subjects indicated significantly higher spiritual well-being in terms of the sense of meaning in life and peacefulness, which mediated in large part the between-group difference of psychological distress at follow-up. Notably, both faith and the perception of social support did not prove to be relevant in this context.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings point to a consistently high prevalence of psychological distress among people suffering from MHD and underscore the prominent role of meaning in life and peacefulness as a protective factor in times of crisis. Therapeutic strategies that specifically target spirituality may have a beneficial impact on mental health.

Trends in the Link Between Perceived Social Support and Life Satisfaction in Adolescents (2013/14-2021/22): A Cross-National Study

Objectives

This repeated cross-sectional study aimed to (a) report trends in adolescents' perceived family, friend, classmate, and teacher support, (b) estimate the extent to which each source of support related to life satisfaction across space and time, and (c) ascertain whether sociodemographic factors moderated the relationship in question.

Methods

We relied on data pertaining to the 2013/14, 2017/18, and 2021/22 waves of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study. The examined sample covered 44 countries and regions (n = 716,083; M AGE = 13.6; SD AGE = 1.64; 50.7% female).

Results

The level of all sources of perceived social support slightly decreased over the examined period (all ω2 < .01). Family support involved the largest association with life satisfaction (β = 0.16); friend support, the lowest one (β = 0.03). These associations varied only tenuously across space and time. Sociodemographic factors moderated the link between perceived social support and life satisfaction to a negligible-to-weak extent.

Conclusion

Levels of perceived social support and their associations with life satisfaction subtly changed. Future research may attempt to pinpoint the macrosocial levers of these temporal dynamics.

Linking social reward responsiveness and affective responses to the social environment: An ecological momentary assessment study

Social support is a key predictor of well-being, but not everyone experiences mental health benefits from receiving it. However, given that a growing number of interventions are based on social support, it is crucial to identify the features that make individuals more likely to benefit from social ties. Emerging evidence suggests that neural responses to positive social feedback (i.e., social reward) might relate to individual differences in social functioning, but potential mechanisms linking these neural responses to psychological outcomes are yet unclear. This study examined whether neural correlates of social reward processing, indexed by the reward positivity (RewP), relate to individuals' affective experience following self-reported real-world positive social support events. To this aim, 193 university students (71% females) underwent an EEG assessment during the Island Getaway task and completed a 10-day ecological momentary assessment where participants reported their positive and negative affects (PA, NA) nine times a day and the count of daily positive and negative events. Experiencing a higher number of social support positive events was associated with higher PA. The RewP moderated this association, such that individuals with greater neural response to social feedback at baseline had a stronger positive association between social support positive events count and PA. Individual differences in the RewP to social feedback might be one indicator of the likelihood of experiencing positive affect when receiving social support.

Social support and trauma experiences of imprisoned men in Northern Ireland

BACKGROUND

Social Support has multiple benefits for health and mental wellbeing. Its existence, and the extent to which it can be beneficial, is dependent upon the context in which it is provided, and the recipients' view of it. Social support has long been established as a 'buffer' to the negative impact of stressful life experiences. Trauma can negatively impact upon social support, reducing the extent of social networks and ability of some trauma experienced individuals to sustain extensive social support networks. However, some trauma experiences can also strengthen social relationships. Imprisoned men are disproportionately likely to have experienced a traumatic event when compared with the general population. Past research has found that traumatic events can lead to a decrease in social support among imprisoned men but more research is needed to understand the variations in perceived social support experienced by imprisoned men and to determine how different types of trauma may be related to perceived social support.

METHOD

A cross-sectional survey of 384 adult men detained in the Northern Ireland Prison Service was conducted between November 2022 and January 2023. The survey collected data on the men's demographics, mental health, substance use, and criminal history. Respondents were also asked to complete a Trauma History Questionnaire (THQ) and the Multi-dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Regression analysis was then used to investigate the possible associations between individual characteristics, different types of trauma experiences and perceived social support.

RESULTS

Most types of trauma experiences were not associated with lower levels of perceived social support. Only those who had experienced crime related trauma were more likely to report lower levels of social support. Older imprisoned men and those using substances were more likely to report lower levels of perceived social support, while those who had served a sentence of less than one year reported higher levels of perceived social support.

DISCUSSION

Crime related trauma experiences were found to be associated with lower levels of perceived social support. There were no significant findings around perceived social support and any of the other trauma types i.e. physical, sexual and general disaster experiences. Trauma informed policy responses should be cognisant of this, as those with experiences of crime related victimisation are less likely to have the social support needed to buffer against future trauma experiences. The findings demonstrate that some individuals experience lower levels of perceived social support and several factors are associated with this including age, time served and substance use history. This will potentially impact upon them during release and affect their reintegration into society. Specific policies aimed at these groups should be considered to prevent them from experiencing a lack of support and any accompanying adversity upon release.

Trajectories of risk and resilience: The role of empathy and perceived social support in the context of early adversity

BACKGROUND

Evidence overwhelmingly suggests that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is a risk factor for poor mental health outcomes. However, the specific mechanisms via which ACEs confer an increased risk of psychopathology are less well understood.

OBJECTIVE

The study modelled the effect of empathy and perceived social support (PSS) on mental health outcomes in a mixed clinical and non-clinical population, within the context of exposure to ACEs.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

A total of 575 participants (comprising a treatment-receiving and community-based sample), aged 18 to 65 completed self-report measures assessing early adversity, PSS, empathy, and mental health outcomes.

METHODS

Multiple mediation analyses were used to investigate whether empathy and PSS mediated the relationship between self-reported ACEs and mental health outcomes, and whether affective and cognitive empathy affected differentially the link between emotional neglect and psychological distress.

RESULTS

Results revealed a statistically significant indirect effect of ACEs on adult mental health through affective empathy and PSS. Emotional neglect was the only type of adversity significantly correlated with both dimensions of empathy. The indirect effect of emotional neglect on mental health outcomes via cognitive and affective empathy was also statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

Study results highlight the role of affective empathy and PSS as transdiagnostic mechanisms influencing the pathway between early adversity and adult mental health, and the importance of taking these into account when designing interventions aiming to promote well-being among those who have experienced childhood adversity.

Relationships between social networking sites use and subjective well-being--- a meta-analysis and meta-analytic structural equation model

During the last decade, the amount of research on the relationship between social networking sites (SNS) use and users' subjective well-being (SWB) has increased, leading to discrepancies regarding the results. Our review of the literature generated 73 independent samples and indicated that considerable inconsistent results may be attributed to different measurements of SNS use, moderation effects, or media response states and their effects. In this study, meta-analytic procedures were used to assess the strength of the relationships between SNS use indicators, perceived social support (PSS), self-esteem and SWB. The results showed that PSS and self-esteem had stronger effects on SWB than SNS use indicators. Furthermore, a meta-analytic structural equation model was conducted to assess the strength of the relationships between SNS use indicators, PSS, self-esteem, and SWB. The results did not support the proposition SNS use is associated with SWB. Compared with SNS use indicators, media response states such as self-esteem and PSS, had more effects on SWB.

Level of perceived social support, and associated factors, in combat-exposed (ex-)military personnel: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE

Combat deployment increases exposure to potentially traumatic events. Perceived social support (PSS) may promote health and recovery from combat trauma. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize studies investigating the level of PSS and associated factors among (ex-)military personnel who served in the Iraq/Afghanistan conflicts.

METHODS

Five electronic databases were searched in August 2023 and searches were restricted to the beginning of the Iraq/Afghanistan conflicts in 2001. The search was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A quality assessment was carried out, and a meta-analysis and narrative synthesis were performed.

RESULTS

In total, 35 papers consisting of 19,073 participants were included. Of these, 31 studies were conducted in the United States (US) and 23 were cross-sectional. The pooled mean PSS score was 54.40 (95% CI: 51.78 to 57.01). Samples with probable post-traumatic stress disorder had a lower mean PSS score (44.40, 95% CI: 39.10 to 49.70). Approximately half of the included studies (n = 19) investigated mental health in relation to PSS, whilst only four explored physical health. The most frequently reported risk factors for low PSS included post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety, whilst post-traumatic growth and unit support were protective factors.

CONCLUSION

Higher levels of PSS were generally associated with more positive psychosocial and mental health-related outcomes following deployment. PSS should be targeted in psychosocial interventions and education programmes. Future research should investigate PSS in (ex-)military personnel across other countries and cultures, based on the lack of studies that focused on PSS in countries outside of the US.

The Impact of Problematic Internet Use on Adolescent Loneliness-Chain Mediation Effects of Social Support and Family Communication

Purpose

To explore the relationship between adolescents' problematic Internet use and loneliness and the mediating roles of social support and family communication.

Methods

A questionnaire survey of 2483 adolescents aged 12-17 years in 148 cities in China was conducted using the Problematic Internet Use Scale, the Collaborative Social Support Scale, the Family Communication Scale, and the Loneliness Scale. The data were statistically analyzed by SPSS 26.0 and validated by AMOS 28.0. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was conducted to test the effects of problematic Internet use on adolescents' loneliness and the mediating effects of perceptions of social support and family communication.

Results

There was a significant positive effect of adolescents' problematic Internet use on loneliness (B-0.471, P<0.001), and the mediating effects of perceptual social support (0.003, 0.012) and family communication (0.008, 0.019) were found to play a chain effect between adolescents' problematic Internet use and loneliness, respectively. Use and feelings of loneliness played a chain mediating role (0.002, 0.006).

Conclusion

This study identified the effects of adolescent problematic Internet use on loneliness and its mechanism of action, emphasized the importance of social support and family communication, and provided practical insights for improving family parenting styles and preventing and intervening in adolescent loneliness problems.

Bidirectional Associations Between Loneliness, Emotional Support, and Sleep in Daily Life

OBJECTIVE

Evidence suggests a link between positive social relationship perceptions and improved sleep (e.g., quality, efficiency) across the life span. Less work has probed the directionality of these relationships. Here, we report findings from the first study to examine bidirectional between- and within-person associations between loneliness and emotional support with daily life measures of sleep.

METHODS

Participants were 389 healthy adults aged 40 to 64 years (61% female) who completed hourly surveys assessing loneliness and perceptions of emotional support over the course of 4 days. Measures of actigraphy-assessed sleep and nightly sleep quality were also assessed for 7 to 10 days.

RESULTS

Individuals with lower average daily loneliness showed higher sleep quality and efficiency than individuals with higher loneliness (r = -0.19, p < .001; r = -0.14, p = .008, respectively), and greater average emotional support was likewise linked with better sleep quality (r = 0.18, p < .001). Controlling for neuroticism attenuated the effects of average loneliness on sleep. Within-person analyses showed unexpected bidirectional effects. Specifically, days in which people felt relatively lonelier were followed by nights with greater sleep efficiency (γ = 1.08, p = .015), and nights when people reported relatively poorer sleep quality were followed by days with greater emotional support (γ = -0.04, p = .013). These unexpected findings are probed in exploratory analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

Individuals with higher loneliness and lower emotional support report poorer sleep quality and efficiency, on average. Day-to-day fluctuations in perceptions of social relationships may affect the following night's sleep, and vice versa.

Daily stigma and daily emotional well-being among people living with HIV: Testing a buffering hypothesis of social support during the COVID-19 pandemic

This study examined the relationship between daily perceived stigma and daily emotional well-being among people living with HIV/AIDS during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, a buffering effect of perceived emotional support on this relationship was verified. The participants were 133 patients with a medically confirmed diagnosis of HIV infection. Data were collected using online diaries completed every evening for five consecutive weekdays in three bursts separated by 6 months. Dynamic multilevel analyses showed a significant positive autoregressive effect for daily stigma in each burst. Additionally, increased stigma predicts increased negative affect and decreased positive affect the next day. However, these effects differed across bursts. Thus, to some extent, daily HIV/AIDS stigma was found to predict a decrease in affective well-being the next day. The buffering effect of perceived emotional support reduced this decline but was also time-limited, probably because of the later established direction in these relationships at the individual level and/or because of changes in the course of the pandemic. The results provide insights on the role of daily stigma in shaping affective well-being, suggesting that it may be a significant source of short-term negative emotional consequences for PWLH.

The Effect of Everyday-Life Social Contact on Pain

Pain is a biopsychosocial phenomenon, resulting from the interplay between physiological and psychological processes and social factors. Given that humans constantly interact with others, the effect of social factors is particularly relevant. Documenting the significance of the social modulation of pain, an increasing number of studies have investigated the effect of social contact on subjective pain intensity and pain-related physiological changes. While evidence suggests that social contact can alleviate pain, contradictory findings indicate an increase in pain intensity and a deterioration of pain coping strategies. This evidence primarily stems from studies examining the effect of social contact on pain within highly controlled laboratory conditions. Moreover, pain assessments often rely on one-time subjective reports of average pain intensity across a predefined period. Ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) can circumvent these problems, as they can capture diverse aspects of behavior and experiences multiple times a day, in real time, with high resolution, and within naturalistic and ecologically valid settings. These multiple measures allow for the examination of fluctuations of pain symptoms throughout the day in relation to affective, cognitive, behavioral, and social factors. In this opinion paper, we review the current state and future relevance of EMA-based social pain research in daily life. Specifically, we examine whether everyday-life social support reduces or enhances pain. The first part of the paper provides a comprehensive overview of the use of EMA in pain research and summarizes the main findings. The review of the relatively limited number of existing EMA studies shows that the association between pain and social contact in everyday life depends on numerous factors, including pain syndromes, temporal dynamics, the nature of social interactions, and characteristics of the interaction partners. In line with laboratory research, there is evidence that everyday-life social contact can alleviate, but also intensify pain, depending on the type of social support. Everyday-life emotional support seems to reduce pain, while extensive solicitous support was found to have opposite effects. Moreover, positive short-term effects of social support can be overshadowed by other symptoms such as fatigue. Overall, gathering and integrating experiences from a patient's social environment can offer valuable insights. These insights can help interpret dynamics in pain intensity and accompanying symptoms such as depression or fatigue. We conclude that factors determining the reducing versus enhancing effects of social contact on pain need to be investigated more thoroughly. We advocate EMA as the assessment method of the future and highlight open questions that should be addressed in future EMA studies on pain and the potential of ecological momentary interventions for pain treatment.

Factors influencing self-regulatory fatigue in patients undergoing chemotherapy for gynecologic cancer: a cross-sectional study

Objective

To understand the current status of self-regulatory fatigue among gynecologic cancer chemotherapy patients and explore influencing factors.

Methods

Using convenient sampling, a total of 232 gynecological cancer chemotherapy patients from two tertiary hospitals in Zhengzhou, Henan, China, were selected as study subjects from February 2023 to April 2023. General information questionnaire, Self-Regulatory Fatigue Scale (SRF-S), Strategies Used by People to Promote Health (SUPPH) Scale, Connor-Davidson resilience scale (CD-RISC) and Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS) were employed for data collection. The data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0 software. Chi-square test and binary logistic regression were executed to explore the correlates of self-regulatory fatigue, the significance level (α) was set at 0.05.

Results

The self-regulatory fatigue score of the 232 patients was 44 (36, 56). Binary logistic regression analyses revealed significant associations, demonstrating that residing in urban areas (OR=0.241, P=0.015), having no comorbidities (OR=0.158, P=0.015), increased perceived social support (OR=0.937, P=0.001), strong self-efficacy (OR=0.959, P=0.021), and heightened psychological resilience (OR=0.895, P<0.001) acted as protective factors against self-regulatory fatigue (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Patients residing in rural areas, having more than two comorbidities, lower self-efficacy and psychological resilience levels, and lower perceived social support are indicative of higher levels of self-regulatory fatigue. Identifying these influencing factors can provide references and support for developing individualized support and intervention measures to improve patients' physical and mental well-being.

Exploring the Interplay of Social Support, Depression, and Quality of Life of Community Older Adults Through Structural Equation Modeling

Social support (SS) has been widely recognized to have a protective effect influencing older adults' emotional and psychological well-being. This study attempted to determine the relationships of structural SS and functional SS on depression and quality of life among the community-dwelling older adults in the rural and Asian context. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 2324 community older adults aged 60 years and above in Kuala Pilah, Malaysia. Participants were recruited via multistage sampling and interviewed face-to-face. The relationships were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Structural SS was associated with functional SS (β = 0.05). Only functional SS (having a role, knowing what is going on, and having a confidant) was found to be significantly associated with depression (β = -0.07) and quality of life (physical component [β = 0.08], mental component [β = 0.31]). In summary, functional SS and familial SS should be addressed to reduce depression and improve quality of life among older adults. Community initiatives to increase awareness in optimizing social support should be conducted for quality of life among community older adults.

Perceived Social Support, Normalization, and Subjective Well-Being Among Family Members of a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The experience of family members of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is not uniform. This study focused on mothers of a child with ASD (Study 1) and typically developing siblings (TDSs) during their emerging adulthood (Study 2). Similarities and differences were explored regarding a proposed model examining the paths of perceived social support (PSS) and normalization (a coping strategy) with subjective well-being: satisfaction with life (SWL) and positive affect (PA). Similarities were found in the paths between PSS, normalization, and SWL, in mothers and TDSs, but differences emerged regarding PA. These findings highlight the importance of PSS as a resource that contributes to normalization and SWL. Professional awareness of family members' PSS and their engagement in normalization is needed.

Differences in Interpersonal Resources and Risk Factors Among Mothers and Fathers of Children on the Autism Spectrum: A Serial Mediation Model

Mothers and fathers of children on the autism spectrum may differ in their perception of their interpersonal resources and risk factors. Fathers (114) and mothers (507) of children on the autism spectrum participated in the study. Fathers (vs. mothers) reported lower interpersonal resources (interpersonal emotion regulation and perceived support from friends and formal sources, but not family) and higher levels of interpersonal risk factors (social, not emotional, loneliness). A serial mediation model indicated that parents' gender predicted interpersonal emotion regulation which in turn related to parents' social loneliness directly and indirectly through perceived social support. Fathers of children on the autism spectrum may differ from mothers in perceptions of interpersonal resources and risk factors related to parents' social belonging needs.

The effect of autistic traits on prosocial behavior: The chain mediating role of received social support and perceived social support

ABSTRACT

There is growing evidence that the defining characteristics of autism spectrum disorder are distributed across the general population; therefore, understanding the correlates of prosocial behavior in individuals with high levels of autistic traits could shed light on autism spectrum disorder and prosocial behavior. In this study, the mechanism underlying the influence of individuals’ autistic traits on their prosocial behavior was explored by conducting a questionnaire survey of 414 Chinese college students. The results showed that autistic traits can influence individuals’ prosocial behavior not only through the separate effects of received social support and perceived social support but also through the chain mediating effects of received social support and perceived social support; however, the direct effect of autistic traits on individuals’ prosocial behavior is not significant. This study is conducive to understanding the internal mechanism underlying the relationship between autistic traits and prosocial behavior. Future work is required to further investigate the clinical autism spectrum disorder samples and cross-cultural applicability of the model found in this study.

Caregiving relationships are a cornerstone of developmental psychopathology

The interdisciplinary field of developmental psychopathology has made great strides by including context into theoretical and empirical approaches to studying risk and resilience. Perhaps no context is more important to the developing child than their relationships with their caregivers (typically a child's parents), as caregivers are a key source of stimulation and nurturance to young children. Coupled with the high degree of brain plasticity in the earliest years of life, these caregiving relationships have an immense influence on shaping behavioral outcomes relevant to developmental psychopathology. In this article, we discuss three areas within caregiving relationships: (1) caregiver-child interactions in everyday, naturalistic settings; (2) caregivers' social cognitions about their child; and (3) caregivers' broader social and cultural context. For each area, we provide an overview of its significance to the field, identify existing knowledge gaps, and offer potential approaches for bridging these gaps to foster growth in the field. Lastly, given that one value of a scientific discipline is its ability to produce research useful in guiding real-world decisions related to policy and practice, we encourage developmental psychopathology to consider that a focus on caregiving, a modifiable target, supports this mission.

Professional relationships during crisis interventions: A scoping review

INTRODUCTION

A crisis can be described as subjective experience that threatens and overwhelms a person's ability to handle a specific situation. In dealing with crises some people are looking for support from professionals. The "professional relationship" between people experiencing a crisis and professionals plays an important role in the successful management of a crisis which has been widely researched in many contexts. However, regarding outpatient services (e. g. crisis resolution home treatment teams), yet empirical evidence remains limited.

OBJECTIVE

We aim to explore descriptions of supportive professional relationships during outpatient crisis interventions in empirical literature. Accordingly, a scoping review was conducted to identify types of evidence, map the key concepts, and point out research gaps.

METHODS

MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL and Social Science Citation Index were searched for studies reporting empirical data on the professional relationship between people experiencing a crisis (18+) and professionals (e. g. social workers, psychiatrists) during a crisis intervention, defined as a short-term, face-to-face, low threshold, time-limited, outpatient, and voluntary intervention to cope with crises. Studies were excluded if they were published before 2007, in languages other than English and German, and if they couldn't be accessed. Included studies were summarized, compared, and synthesized using qualitative content analyses.

RESULTS

3.741 records were identified, of which 8 met the eligibility criteria. Only one study directly focused on the relationship; the others addressed varied aspects. Two studies explored the perspectives of service users, five focused on those of the professionals and one study examined both. The empirical literature was categorized into three main themes: strategies used to develop a supportive professional relationship, factors influencing the relationship and the nature of these relationships.

DISCUSSION

The results reveal a gap in understanding the nature of supportive professional relationships from the service users' perspective, as well as how professionals construct these relationships.

Reducing Loneliness and Improving Social Support among Older Adults through Different Modalities of Personal Voice Assistants

This study examines the potential of AI-powered personal voice assistants (PVAs) in reducing loneliness and increasing social support among older adults. With the aging population rapidly expanding, innovative solutions are essential. Prior research has indicated the effectiveness of various interactive communication technologies (ICTs) in mitigating loneliness, but studies focusing on PVAs, particularly considering their modality (audio vs. video), are limited. This research aims to fill this gap by evaluating how voice assistants, in both audio and video formats, influence perceived loneliness and social support. This study examined the impact of voice assistant technology (VAT) interventions, both audio-based (A-VAT) and video-based (V-VAT), on perceived loneliness and social support among 34 older adults living alone. Over three months, participants engaged with Amazon Alexa™ PVA through daily routines for at least 30 min. Using a hybrid natural language processing framework, interactions were analyzed. The results showed reductions in loneliness (Z = -2.99, p < 0.01; pre-study loneliness mean = 1.85, SD = 0.61; post-study loneliness mean = 1.65, SD = 0.57), increases in social support post intervention (Z = -2.23, p < 0.05; pre-study social support mean = 5.44, SD = 1.05; post-study loneliness mean = 5.65, SD = 1.20), and a correlation between increased social support and loneliness reduction when the two conditions are combined (ρ = -0.39, p < 0.05). In addition, V-VAT was more effective than A-VAT in reducing loneliness (U = 85.50, p < 0.05) and increasing social support (U = 95, p < 0.05). However, no significant correlation between changes in perceived social support and changes in perceived loneliness was observed in either intervention condition (V-VAT condition: ρ = -0.24, p = 0.37; A-VAT condition: ρ = -0.46, p = 0.06). This study's findings could significantly contribute to developing targeted interventions for improving the well-being of aging adults, addressing a critical global issue.

Adolescent siblings of children with cancer: Resource-based profiles, normalization, and search for meaning in life

INTRODUCTION

Adolescent siblings of children with cancer jointly face the experience of having a brother or sister with cancer and being in the developmental period of adolescence themselves. Based on Hobfoll's conservation of resources theory, we aimed to identify profiles based on two distinct resources: sense of hope (personal resource) and perceived social support (social resource). Both have been found to be vital for optimal functioning during adolescence. Further, we examined differences in these profiles with regard to two distal outcomes: normalization (a coping strategy) and search for meaning in life (a commonly assumed adolescent developmental task).

METHODS

One hundred and eleven Israeli adolescent siblings (aged 13-17) completed self-report measures.

RESULTS

Two distinct resource-based profiles were identified: "high resources" and "low resources." Participants with "high resources" had a higher sense of hope and higher social support; were significantly more likely to live with married parents than with unmarried parents; had marginally fewer siblings; and scored higher on normalization and search for meaning in life than did participants with "low resources."

CONCLUSIONS

The study outcomes highlight the essential role of resources for this population. Such resources seem to be helpful for normalization, a coping strategy whose focus is on facilitating regular family routines, and for the siblings' search for meaning in life. Practitioners who work with families in the context of childhood cancer should aim to help these siblings obtain key resources, such as social support, and to actively pursue their goals.

Well-being among parents of youth with multiple sclerosis: a preliminary longitudinal study

Background

In 2021, the annual rate of pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS) in Israel among children was 1.5, and 4.5% among youth aged 14-18, out of a total of 5,000 multiple sclerosis cases nationwide. Children diagnosed with POMS often display various deficiencies across psychological, cognitive, sensory, and physical areas. As such, POMS poses significant challenges for parents' well-being, with heightened emotional, financial, and physical strains linked to both the immediate and long-term care requirements of their children. In this preliminary study, we examined changes over three time-points in two measures of well-being: satisfaction with life and psychological distress. In addition, the role of perceived social support (PSS) and coping flexibility was examined through a multilevel causal mediation model which suggested that PSS 1 month post-diagnosis would predict coping flexibility at 6 months post-diagnosis, which in turn would predict parents' life satisfaction and psychological distress at 12 months post-diagnosis.

Methods

The research was conducted at a tertiary university-affiliated children's hospital in central Israel. Preliminary data were obtained from 36 parents at three times-points. Participants provided demographic information and filled out the following standardized self-report questionnaires: the Diener's Satisfaction with Life Scale, Kessler's inventory for measuring psychological distress (K6), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and the Perceived Ability to Cope with Trauma Scale (PACT) for measuring coping flexibility.

Results

Over time (12 months), parents reported stable levels of PSS, coping flexibility, satisfaction with life, and psychological distress. In addition, mothers reported significantly greater PSS from friends than did fathers. Regarding the causal mediation model, greater PSS from friends at T1 was significantly associated with an increase in coping flexibility from T1 to T2. In turn, an increase in coping flexibility was associated with a decrease in psychological distress from T1 to T3 (after controlling for PSS). Yet the causal mediation path via coping flexibility to satisfaction with life was not significant.

Conclusion

This preliminary study emphasizes the important role of both PSS and coping flexibility for the well-being of parents whose children are affected by POMS, a subject that merits heightened consideration among healthcare professionals dealing with long-term chronic diseases.

Engaging with nature and work: associations among the built and natural environment, experiences outside, and job engagement and creativity

Introduction

There is substantial evidence that contact with nature is related to positive health and well-being outcomes, but extensions of this research to work-related outcomes is sparse. Some organizations are redesigning workspaces to incorporate nature and adopting nature-related policies, warranting a need for empirical studies that test the influence of nature on employee outcomes.

Methods

The present mixed-methods study tests and extends the biophilic work design model to examine associations among the built and natural environment at work and home, experiences of time spent outside (i.e., amount of time outside, enjoyment of time outside, outdoor activities), and motivational work outcomes (i.e., job engagement and creativity). Objective geographic data were combined with quantitative and qualitative survey responses from working adults (N = 803).

Results

Our results broadly indicate that individuals who work and live in areas with greater natural amenities (i.e., access to water, topographic variation, temperate climates) spend more time outside and enjoy time outside to a greater degree, and these experiences are in turn associated with greater engagement and creativity at work. We did not find evidence that the surrounding built environment (i.e., urbanity) at work or home was associated with outdoor experiences or work-related outcomes. Additionally, six categories of outdoor activities were identified in the qualitative analyses - leisure activities, relaxation, physical activities, social interactions, tasks and errands, and travel.

Discussion

The findings from this study provide evidence that the natural environment, particularly at home, can benefit work-related outcomes via greater time and enjoyment of time outside. This study has implications for employee time use and organizational effectiveness.

The neural correlates of perceived social support and its relationship to psychological well-being

Introduction

Perceived social support is considered to play a significant role in promoting individuals' health and well-being, and yet the neural correlates of perceived social support were not fully understood. An exploration of the neural correlates of individual differences in the SPS can help us to gain more comprehensive understanding about the neural correlates of perceived social support. What's more, our study will explore the relationship among perceived social support, brain regions, and psychological well-being, which may provide new insights into the neural correlates underlying the relationship between perceived social support and psychological well-being from the perspective of cognitive neuroscience.

Methods

Herein, we used the Social Provisions Scale to assess individuals' perceived social support, and magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure the gray matter (GM) volume of the whole brain. What's more, we also measured psychological well-being using the Psychological Well-Being Scale, and mediation analysis was used to explore the relationship among perceived social support, brain regions, and psychological well-being.

Results

The voxel-based morphometry analysis of the whole brain revealed that perceived social support was positively correlated with GM volume of the left middle temporal gyrus (MTG). The finding indicated that a person with greater GM volume in the left MTG perceived more social support. More importantly, the left MTG GM volume observed above was also associated with psychological well-being, and the link between the two was mediated by perceived social support.

Discussion

These results revealed the importance of MTG for perceived social support and psychological well-being, and also suggested that perceived social support might explain the relationship between MTG and psychological well-being.

The prevalence and severity of loneliness and deficits in perceived social support among who have received a 'personality disorder' diagnosis or have relevant traits: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Loneliness and struggles with unmet social needs are a common experience among people with 'personality disorder' diagnoses/traits. Given the impact of loneliness and poor perceived social support on mental health, and the importance of a sense of belonging for recovery, a systematic review examining the prevalence/severity of loneliness and deficits in perceived social support among people with 'personality disorder' diagnoses/traits is an essential step towards developing an intervention targeting the social needs of people with diagnoses/traits 'personality disorder'. Despite an extensive literature on loneliness and deficits of perceived social support among people with 'personality disorder' diagnosis/traits, to date there has been no systematic review of this evidence.

METHOD

We conducted a systematic review synthesising quantitative data on the prevalence/severity of loneliness and deficits of perceived social support among people with diagnoses/traits of 'personality disorder' in comparison with other clinical groups and the general population. We searched Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Social Science, Google scholar and Ethos British Library from inception to December 2021. We conducted quality appraisals using the Joanna Briggs Critical appraisal tools and rated the certainty of evidence using the Grading of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. A narrative synthesis was used describing the direction and strength of associations prioritising high quality studies.

FINDINGS

A final set of 70 studies are included in this review, most of which are cross-sectional studies (n = 55), based in the United States (51%) and focused on community samples. Our synthesis of evidence found that, across all types of 'personality disorders' (except 'narcissistic personality' traits), people with traits associated with 'personality disorder' or meeting criteria for a diagnosis of 'personality disorder', have higher levels of loneliness, lower perceived relationship satisfaction, and poorer social support than the general population or other clinical samples.

CONCLUSION

The quality of evidence is judged as low quality. However, given the distressing nature of loneliness and the known negative effects of loneliness on mental health and recovery, it is important for future research to explore mechanisms by which loneliness may exacerbate 'personality disorder' symptoms and the impact this has on recovery.

Longitudinal associations between social support and sarcopenia: findings from a 5-year cohort study in Chinese aged ≥50 years

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to investigate longitudinal associations of overall social support and its sub-domains with risk of sarcopenia and its related traits in community-dwelling Chinese aged ≥ 50 years. We also explored interaction effects of potential factors on such associations.

DESIGN

A prospective cohort study.

SETTING

Community-based setting in western China.

PARTICIPANTS

We included participants aged ≥50 years with complete information necessary for analysis from the WCHAT study who did not have sarcopenia at baseline (2018) and had sufficient data for sarcopenia assessment during 2021-2023.

MEASUREMENTS

Exposures included overall social support, subjective support, objective support and support utilization, which were assessed with the Social Support Rating Scale. Outcomes included sarcopenia, low muscle mass (LMM), low muscle strength and low physical performance, which were diagnosed with the 2019 AWGS consensus. Longitudinal associations between the exposures and outcomes were estimated by logistic regression, with generalized estimating equations (GEE) as sensitivity analyses. Subgroup analyses by potential covariates were conducted to detect interaction effects.

RESULTS

A total of 1905 participants were finally included in the analytic sample, of whom 326 (17.1%) developed incident sarcopenia during 5-year follow-up. After controlling for confounders, higher degree of overall social support (OR = 0.87, 95%CI 0.76-0.99), subjective support (OR = 0.88, 95%CI 0.77-0.99) and support utilization (OR = 0.87, 95%CI 0.77-0.99) correlated with lower sarcopenia risk, among which higher support utilization degree was indicative of lower risk for LMM (OR = 0.88, 95%CI 0.79-0.98). GEE further revealed that overall support degree was negatively associated with risk for sarcopenia (OR = 0.86, 95%CI 0.76-0.98) and LMM (OR = 0.87, 95%CI 0.77-0.99). Objective support was neither significantly associated with sarcopenia nor its traits. No significant interaction effect was observed between overall support and the concerned confounders on sarcopenia (interaction P-value > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Overall social support degree was negatively associated with sarcopenia risk, possibly primarily through affecting muscle mass rather than muscle strength or physical performance, and such an association remained robust across subgroups with distinct characteristics. This holds implications for policymakers to conduct population-based risk assessment, and supportive strategies against sarcopenia should focus on enhancing subjective support and support utilization rather than objective support alone.

Perceived friendships protect against the development of anger following childhood adversities in UK military veteran men residing in Northern Ireland

Background: Experience of childhood adversity is associated with greater anger as an adult, particularly in men. Soldiers and veterans report higher incidence of adverse childhood experiences, many of whom also experience elevated rates of PTSD and anger. However, little is known about factors which may protect against the development of anger after experiencing childhood adversity.Objective: This study aims to assess the potential protective aspects of perceived social support in military veterans.Methods: Data from the Northern Ireland Veterans' Health and Wellbeing Study (N = 590, Mage = 56) was utilised in regression models to examine perceived social support (family, friend, partner; MSPSS) as a moderator of the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEQ-10) and anger (DAR-7). This sample comprised men who were UK Armed Forces veterans residing in Northern Ireland.Results: Significant interaction effects, visualised using interaction plots, were found between perceived friend support and both child abuse and household challenge. When men perceived high friend support, there was no association between child abuse or household challenge and anger. For veteran men who perceived the maximum amount of partner support, there was no association between child abuse and anger. Family support did not change the positive association between child abuse, child neglect or household challenge and future anger.Conclusions: This study indicates that it is especially important to foster supportive and empathetic friendships for men that have experienced adversity as a child, perhaps through programmes such as Men's Sheds, as these friendships may alleviate the negative influences of child abuse and household challenge on anger.

Say you'll be there: Associations between observed verbal responses, friendship quality, and perceptions of support in young adult friendships

Friendships are a primary source of social support during young adulthood; however, little is known about the factors associated with young adults feeling greater support during interactions with friends. We examined how micro-level verbal responses and macro-level judgments of friendship quality were associated with perceptions of support following an interaction between friends. Same-gender friend dyads (N = 132; 66.2% female; 18-24 years, M age = 19.63) took turns speaking about a problem, then participants rated their perceptions of support given and received following the task. We coded each participant's verbal responses while in the listening role. Actor Partner Interdependence Models (APIMs) revealed significant partner effects for negative engagement responses, such that greater negative engagement responses were linked with the partner perceiving poorer support both given and received. Models revealed significant actor effects for supportive responses, such that greater supportive responses predicted the actor perceiving better support both given and received. Additionally, models revealed significant actor effects of friendship quality predicting actors' perceiving better support both given and received. Finally, exploratory models revealed minimal interactions between a few types of verbal responses and positive friendship quality. Taken together, results suggest that (a) negative verbal responding styles may be more meaningfully associated with partners' perceptions of support in the moment than are supportive behaviours, whereas (b) supportive verbal responding styles may be more meaningfully associated with actors' perceptions of support in the moment, and (c) actors' judgments of friendship quality are strongly associated with their overall perceptions of support, and a critical factor to consider in future research.

Understanding evidence and provision of services around social isolation and loneliness of military widow/ers: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

Whilst the uniqueness of loneliness and social isolation is now recognised for members of the Armed Forces Community, there is currently a lack of evidence examining these experiences within the Military Widow/er population. Therefore, this scoping review aimed to search and synthesise the current evidence base exploring experiences of loneliness and social isolation in this community.

METHOD

Six databases were searched; ASSIA; CINAHL; ProQuest Dissertation & Theses Global; PsycArticles; Medline; Web of Science. Any article type was included if they focused on UK or international Military Widows and loneliness and social isolation. In the absence of loneliness and social isolation, related aspects were included, for example, social support.

RESULTS

A thematic synthesis was completed on the nine eligible papers, where key findings were coded and generated into four themes; Experiences of Loneliness and Social Isolation, The Uniqueness of the Military, Access to Social Support, and The Importance of Peer Support.

CONCLUSIONS

Evidence supports the need for military-specific support services with peers who recognise the individuals' unique experiences of loneliness and social isolation. None of the available evidence focused specifically on social isolation, however this was often prevalent in the results. All of the studies were carried out in the USA and Israel, with none including the views of widowers. Further evidence is required, particularly relating to a UK-context.

The Distinction Between Social Connectedness and Support When Examining Depressive Symptoms Among Children and Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Childhood depression is associated with significant social and functional impairment, suicide risk, and persistence throughout adulthood. Recent evidence demonstrates that social connectedness and social support may serve as protective factors against the development of depression. The current study aimed to examine the effect of change in social connectedness and social support on depressive symptoms among children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hierarchical regression was performed. Results indicated that parent-reported measures of change in social connectedness were inversely associated with depressive symptom severity, and could significantly predict future depressive symptom severity. In contrast, parent-reported measures of social support (i.e., from family and friends) did not significantly predict future depressive symptom severity. The presence of a pre-COVID psychiatric and/or neurodevelopmental diagnosis and baseline depressive symptom severity were also important factors associated with future depressive symptom severity. The findings suggest that an awareness of the presence of social supports (i.e., family or friends) is not sufficient for children to feel connected, but rather the mechanisms of social relationships are crucial. As our approach to public health restrictions evolves, the risk transmission of COVID-19 should be carefully balanced with the risks associated with decreased connectedness among youth.

The mediating role of coping self-efficacy on social support and PTSD symptom severity among injury survivors

BACKGROUND

Social support confers a protective effect against elevated PTSD symptomatology following injury. However, little is known about the mechanisms through which social support conveys this protective mental health effect in injury survivors. Coping self-efficacy is linked to both social support and PTSD symptomatology but has not been examined.

OBJECTIVE

To test coping self-efficacy as a mechanism for the relationship between social support and PTSD symptom severity among injury survivors.

METHOD AND DESIGN

Participants consisted of 61 injury survivors (62.3% male, 72.1% White) admitted to a Level-1 Trauma Center. Social support was assessed at 2-weeks post-injury; coping self-efficacy at 6-weeks post-injury; and PTSD symptom severity at 3-months post-injury.

RESULTS

A statistically significant indirect effect was found for the social support - coping self-efficacy - PTSD symptomatology pathway, providing evidence of mediation even after controlling for age, sex, race, and education (B = -0.51, SE = 0.18, CI = -0.92, -0.20).

CONCLUSIONS

Social support may exert an effect on PTSD symptom severity post-injury through its connection with coping self-efficacy. Coping self-efficacy represents an important intervention target following injury for those survivors with lower social support who are at risk for elevated PTSD symptom severity levels.

Social and psychological resources and COVID-19 related fear, threat and worry

OBJECTIVES

The current study examines the relationship between social/psychological resources and COVID-related fear, threat, and worry.

METHODS

This work is based on data collected in March 23, 2020 from a national sample of 10,368 adults (ages 18 or older) living in the United States. The final sample of 10,368 was post-stratification weighted across gender, age, race, income, and geography (state) to ensure representativeness of the overall population of the United States.

RESULTS

Findings suggest some social and psychological resources are related to COVID-specific distress (fear/threat/worry), but depending on the resource, relationships vary in both direction and significance. On the one hand, strength of social ties and mastery of fate play a protective role in perceived distress (fear/threat/worry) related to COVID. On the other hand, community connectedness is significantly related to higher levels of COVID-specific fear, threat, and worry.

CONCLUSIONS

The analyses provide some evidence of the nature of the relationships between social and psychological resources and perceived COVID-19 distress that vary by race and ethnicity. These and other relationships are explored and discussed in the context of improving ones well-being with mediating social and psychological resources.

The Stories We Tell Influence the Support We Receive: Examining the Reception of Support-Seeking Messages on Reddit

Although social support facilitates coping and recovering from stressful life events, people do not always get the support that they need. Prior research suggests that the way one talks about stressful events to others may influence the support they receive. Given that people are increasingly relying on online communities for social support, this study adopted a person-centered approach (latent profile analysis) to examine how narrative variables related to the motivational themes, emotional content, and organizational structure of randomly sampled support-seeking messages (N = 495) posted on Reddit (r/Anxiety and r/Depression) influenced the quantity (number of comments and post score) and quality (type of support in comments) of support that they received. We identified five distinct narrative profiles of support-seeking posts, which in turn differentially predicted the quality, but not quantity, of social support people received. While commenters provided high levels of emotional support to all forms of posts, we found that coherence was an important determinant of esteem support. A combination of coherence, as well as agency and affective tone, were important determinants of instrumental, informational, and network support. The ways in which one talks about their problems influence the way others support them.

Longitudinal Association Between Perceived Availability of Home- and Community-Based Services and All-Cause Mortality Among Chinese Older Adults: A National Cohort Study

Home- and community-based services (HCBS) may contribute to lowering mortality and enhancing quality of life among older adults. Limited research, however, has examined this relationship in the Chinese context. This study explored the longitudinal association between perceived availability of HCBS and all-cause mortality among Chinese older adults. This cohort study included 8,102 individuals aged 65 years and older from the 2011, 2014, and 2018 waves of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. HCBS included daily life assistance, medical care services, emotional support and social services, and reconciliation and legal aid services. The association between perceived availability of HCBS and all-cause mortality was investigated using Cox proportional hazards models. Emotional support and social services were negatively associated with all-cause mortality (HR = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.78 ~ 0.95, P = .004). Daily life assistance, medical care services, and reconciliation and legal aid services were not significantly associated with all-cause mortality. Providing community-level emotional support and social services may reduce the risk of death. Focusing on the mental health and social well-being of older adults is just as important as caring for their physical health.

A Bifactor-ESEM Representation of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support

The aim of this study is to examine the factor structure of Turkish version of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) and to analyze its psychometric properties through the bifactor-ESEM framework. Using a convenience sample of 1124 Turkish adults, seven different models were tested. The results supported the superiority of a bifactor-ESEM solution that included three specific factors (family, friends, and significant others) and a general factor. In addition, bifactor indices showed that the general factor of MSPSS is not strong enough and its multidimensional structure is supported. For the bifactor-ESEM model, strict measurement invariance was achieved according to the gender variable. Our results supported convergent validity for the general and specific factors of the MSPSS, which were found to be associated with measures of distress, loneliness, and resilience. As a result, MSPSS is a valid and reliable measurement tool with its bifactor-ESEM model.

Relationship between perceived social support and mental health among Chinese college football athletes: a moderated mediation model

Previous researches have confirmed that perceived social support has a profound effect on individuals' mental health. However, the effects and potential mechanisms of perceived social support on mental health of college athletes are still largely unknown, especially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore the relationship between perceived social support and mental health in college football athletes, and to evaluate whether hopelessness and psychological pressure affected this relationship. A sample of 672 Chinese college football athletes (37.9% girls; Mage = 20.43 years; SDage = 1.68) were investigated with the Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Surveys were voluntary and anonymous. The findings revealed that, after adjusting for demographic factors, hopelessness mediated the relationship between Chinese college football athletes' perceived social support and their mental health. Furthermore, psychological pressure moderated the negative association between perceived social support and hopelessness, and the association was stronger for them with high-level psychological pressure. These results underline the need for focused strategies in the prevention and treatment of mental health issues among Chinese college football athletes.

Factors Contributing to West Indian American Depression

This study explored factors that mediate the relationship between subjective wellbeing and depression in a sample of West Indian American immigrants. An intersectional theoretical framework was used to identify the relative contribution of psychological stressors-perceived discrimination, financial strain and acculturative stress-that mediate the relationship between subjective wellbeing and depression. A geographically diverse sample was recruited by an online survey (N = 255), consisting of 138 men, 115 women, 173 Indo-West Indians and 82 Afro-West Indians. Path analysis was used to identify the relative contribution of psychological stressors. Acculturative stress and financial strain were both statistically significant predictors of depression. Financial strain was identified as the major mediator between subjective wellbeing and depression in West Indian Americans. West Indian Americans are vulnerable to financial strain and acculturative stress. These sources of psychological stress are important contributors to depression in the community. More research is needed to clarify these relationships.

Association of Social Support with Rehabilitation Outcome among Older Adults with Hip Fracture Surgery: A Prospective Cohort Study at Post-Acute Care Facility in Asia

OBJECTIVES

There is growing interest in the role of social support during the recovery after hip fractures. The research to date has been mainly focused on structural support, with few studies concerned with functional support. This study examined the effects of both functional and structural aspects of social support on rehabilitation outcomes among older adults with hip fracture surgery.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Consecutive older adults (≥60 years) with hip fracture surgery who underwent inpatient rehabilitation in a post-acute care facility in Singapore between January 11, 2021, and October 30, 2021 (n = 112).

METHODS

We administered the Medical Outcome Study-Social Support Survey (MOS-SSS) to assess perceived functional support of patients and used living arrangement as an indicator for structural support. Participants were followed up over the inpatient stay at the post-acute care facility until discharge; thereafter, rehabilitation efficiency (REy) and rehabilitation effectiveness (REs) were evaluated. Multiple linear regressions were performed to examine the associations of MOS-SSS score and living arrangement with REy and REs, respectively, adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity, comorbidity, body mass index, prefracture function, type of fracture, and length of stay.

RESULTS

Perceived functional support had positive associations with rehabilitation outcomes. A 1-unit increase in MOS-SSS total score was associated with 0.15 units (95% CI 0.03-0.3, P = .029) greater gain in physical function after a typical 1-month stay, and 0.21 units (95% CI 0.01-0.41, P = .040) higher achievement in potential functional improvement upon discharge. In contrast, no association was observed between structural support and rehabilitation outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Perceived functional support may significantly impact the recovery of older adults with hip fracture during the inpatient rehabilitation process, independent of structural support. Our findings suggest the potential of incorporating interventions enhancing perceived functional support of patients into the post-acute care model for hip fracture.

The relationship between social support, self-efficacy, and asthma outcomes in older adults

OBJECTIVE

There has been a call for research examining factors that influence asthma outcomes in older adults because of the notable disparities observed in this age group. Social support and self-efficacy are resources that factor into asthma outcomes. The current study aimed to examine the relationship between these resources (independently and jointly) and asthma control and quality of life.

METHODS

Older adults with moderate-severe asthma were recruited from NYC. Data were obtained during in-person interviews via validated measures of social support, asthma self-efficacy, asthma control, and asthma quality of life. Linear regression evaluated self-efficacy in the relationship between social support and asthma outcomes.

RESULTS

In a sample of 359 older adults (M = 68.04, 47.9% Hispanic, 26.5% Black, and 25.6% other), social support had an inverse association with asthma control. As social support increased, asthma control decreased (β = 0.95, t(356) = -3.13, p = .002). Self-efficacy significantly moderated this relationship (β = 0.01, t(356) = 2.37, p = .018). For individuals with low or moderate asthma self-efficacy, more received social support was associated with worse asthma control (β = -0.33, t(356) = -4.66, p < .0001; β = -0.20, t(356) = -3.21, p = .0014, respectively). For individuals with high self-efficacy, no relationship was found between received social support and asthma control (β = -0.10, t(356)= -1.20, p =.23). For asthma quality of life, higher levels of received social support were associated with worse quality of life (β = -0.88, t(356) = -2.64, p = .009), but this association was not significantly moderated by self-efficacy (β = 0.01, t(356) = 1.90, p = .0582).

CONCLUSIONS

For older adults with asthma, receiving more social support is associated with worse asthma outcomes, especially for older adults with lower asthma self-efficacy.

Sex Moderates the Relationship Between Social Support and Cardiovascular Prevention Behaviors in Middle-aged and Older Adults

BACKGROUND

Most risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) are modifiable, suggesting that the burden of CVD could be substantially reduced through cardiovascular screening and healthier lifestyle. People who have social support are more likely to adhere to cardiovascular prevention recommendations, but it is not clear whether the benefit of social support is equal for men and women.

PURPOSE

We investigated whether sex moderates the relationship between social support and adherence to cardiovascular prevention recommendations in a nationally representative sample.

METHODS

Participants were 17,287 adults (n = 10,264 middle-aged adults 40-64 years old and n = 7,023 older adults ≥ 65 years old) who participated in the National Health Survey of Spain in 2017. Social support was measured with the Functional Social Support Questionnaire of Duke-UNC. Adherence to cardiovascular screening recommendations was assessed based on self-reported testing of cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar by a health professional in the past 12 months. Adherence to recommended health-related behaviors was assessed based on the guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology regarding diet, alcohol consumption, smoking, and physical activity.

RESULTS

Multiple regression models adjusted for socio-demographic and cardiovascular history and risk variables showed that social support was more strongly associated with adherence to cardiovascular prevention recommendations in men than in women. In particular, low social support levels were especially detrimental for both middle-aged men (screening: B = 0.13, 95% CI [0.06-0.20], p < .001; behaviors: B = 0.33 [0.26-0.41], p < .001) and older men (screening: B = 0.10 [0.04-0.17], p = .001; behaviors: B = 0.16 [0.08-0.25], p < .001), whereas older women had comparatively high adherence, which was unrelated to social support (screening: B = 0.02 [-0.03 to 0.08], p = .433; behaviors: B = 0.03 [-0.03 to 0.10], p = .342).

CONCLUSIONS

Social support is more strongly associated with cardiovascular prevention in men than in women, such that men who lack social support have the lowest adherence to cardiovascular screening and lifestyle recommendations.

The temporal relationship between depressive symptoms and self-rated health across adulthood

Objective: Depressive symptoms have been found to relate to diminished self-rated health (SRH), which is a reliable index of general health. Despite such associations, there is limited research examining the bidirectional temporal relationship between these variables. The current study is the first to investigate the longitudinal relationship between depressive symptoms and SRH utilizing a cross-lagged panel analysis in a sample that spans adulthood (ages 18-93).Method: Data from the Virginia Cognitive Aging Project were used to examine the temporal relationship between depressive symptoms and SRH in a cross-lagged panel analysis using structural equation modeling.Results: A bidirectional temporal relationship, which was not moderated by age, was established between depressive symptoms and SRH.Conclusion: This article is the first to demonstrate that depressive symptoms and SRH influence each other reciprocally over time across adulthood, even after controlling for relevant variables. Considering the ubiquity and ramifications of depressive symptoms among American adults, these results highlight the importance of investigating mechanisms that could elucidate the link between the variables in question.

Effects of Neighborhood Disconnection on Psychological Distress and Suicide Risk Associated with Interpersonal Violence Within Racial Groups

Negative mental health outcomes have been associated with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and intimate partner violence (IPV); however, few studies have identified risk and protective factors across levels of the social ecology that mitigate the onset of psychological distress and suicide risk associated with trauma. This study examines the relationship between ACEs, IPV, and mental health (i.e., psychological distress, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts) within racial sub-populations of Black American, Latinx, and White adults. An online, cross-section survey was administered to a general population sample of adults in Baltimore and New York City. ACEs, IPV, and mental health outcomes were assessed within racial sub-populations of Black American (N = 390), Latinx (N = 178), and White (N = 339) adults, while accounting for within-group demographic differences. Moderating effects of social support and neighborhood disconnection on the relationship between ACEs, IPV, and mental health outcomes were also assessed. IPV was associated with psychological distress and suicidal ideation for Black and Latinx adults, but not for White adults. ACEs were associated with increased psychological distress for all three groups, and increased odds for suicidal ideation among Black and Latinx adults.. A significant negative interaction effect for neighborhood disconnection was found in the relationship between ACEs and psychological distress for Black adults. Findings highlight the significant mental health burdens of ACEs and IPV within racial and ethnic groups. Neighborhood disconnection may exacerbate psychological distress associated with ACEs among populations most impacted by interpersonal violence and mental health inequalities.

The perceived impact of pandemic scale (PIPS): Initial development and examination among U.S. military veterans

The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impacts, including increases in mental health problems, distress, interpersonal conflict, unemployment, loss of income, housing instability, and food insecurity. Veterans may be particularly vulnerable to such impacts given their burden of mental and physical health problems. Few existing measures assess pandemic impact, and none have been validated for use with Veterans. We developed such a measure (the Perceived Impact of the Pandemic Scale; PIPS) and examined its psychometric performance in a national sample of US Veterans. Survey data from 567 Veterans were collected between 12/2020 and 2/2021. To examine PIPS factor structure, split sample exploratory/confirmatory factor analyses (EFA/CFA) were conducted to identify and test the most plausible model among an initial set of 18 items. Based on tests of factor extraction and factor loadings, 15 items clearly loaded onto three distinct factors. Internal reliability of all factors was ω > 0.8 and CFA model fit was good (χ2(87) = 167.39, p < .001; SRMR = 0.068; RMSEA = 0.060 [95% CI: 0.05, 0.07], CFI = 0.92). Mean factor scores were significantly positively correlated with measures of depression and loneliness, and negatively correlated with perceived social support. Results suggest the PIPS assesses three internally reliable factors comprised of perceived impact of the pandemic on interpersonal relationships, financial impact, and personal health and well-being. Construct validity with US Veterans was supported. The PIPS may be useful for examining the potentially disparate impact of pandemics on different populations. Research is needed to validate the PIPS in non-Veteran populations.