Social Skills,Social Support,and Psychological Distress: A Test of the Social Skills Deficit Vulnerability Model

The social skills deficit vulnerability model predicts that poor social skills minimize opportunities to acquire social support, in turn, leading to the proliferation of psychological distress. This prediction was tested in a 2‐wave longitudinal study that assessed 211 emerging adults at Time 1 (T1), with a 70% response rate 1 year later at Time 2 (T2). The results indicated that, after controlling for psychological distress at T1, social skills at T1 had an indirect effect on lower psychological distress at T2, through higher social support. Thus, people with poor social skills may be vulnerable to the development of psychological distress because they have less access the protective effects of social support.     

The Role of Social Support,Being Present,and Self‐kindness in University Student Psychological Distress

Objective

Self‐kindness, which is thought to be part of self‐compassion, has the potential to contribute to mental health, as well as serve as a focus for interventions. However, little attention has been given to the potential role of self‐kindness specifically, especially in the context of mindful presence and available social support, in buffering distress.

Method

Structural equation modelling was used to test a theoretically based model of how these factors relate to each other and psychological distress. Participants were 592 Australian university students.

Results

Results confirmed our hypotheses, showing that: (a) receiving social support is important to the capacity for self‐kindness both directly and indirectly through the ability to “be present,” and (b) the relationship between social support and psychological distress is partially mediated by the practices of self‐kindness and being present. The model of social support, being present, and self‐kindness accounted for half the variance in psychological distress. With the addition of stressors, a regression model explained a total of 62% of the variance.

Conclusions

These findings have implications for understanding the construct of self‐kindness and its role in the development of interventions to improve student success.     

Neuroticism,Extraversion, Perceived Social Support,and Escape Television Viewing as Determinants of Psychological Distress in Crime Victims

This study describes a longitudinal analysis of the relationship among neuroticism, extraversion, educational level, perceived social support, escape viewing, and psychological distress in crime victims. A sample of 170 crime victims completed self-report measures of these concepts. Personality traits, educational level, and baseline rates at 3 months postcrime of perceived social support and escape television viewing were modeled as predictors of psychological distress at 6 and 9 months postcrime. Neuroticism and extraversion significantly predicted psychological distress following victimization. Escape viewing had direct effects on distress and mediated the relationship between neuroticism and distress. Distress symptoms at 3 months were the strongest predictors of distress at 6 and 9 months postcrime.     

Differentiation of Self, Stress, and Emotional Support as Predictors of Psychological Distress

We explored the relations among stress, emotional support, and differentiation of self from the family of origin as predictors of psychological distress in a sample of 200 college students. First, we investigated the discrepant findings of Murdock and Gore (Contemp Fam Ther 23: 319–335, 2004) and Skowron et al. (J Couns Dev 82: 69–78, 2004) regarding the relationships among stress, differentiation, and symptoms (a question of mediation vs. moderation). Second, we examined the role of emotional support in concert with stress and differentiation. When both stressful events and perceived stress were measured, differentiation of self was found to be a significant partial mediator of their effects on psychological distress. Emotional support was also found to partially mediate the relationship between differentiation of self and psychological distress. Differentiation of self partially mediated the relationship between actual and perceived stress, and perceived stress partially mediated the relationship between differentiation of self and psychological distress.     

Negative Affectivity, Social Support, and the Prediction of Depression and Distress

ABSTRACT In the work we present in this article, we examined the contaminating effects of trait negative affectivity (TNA) on the relations between social support and psychological distress among college undergraduates. In the first study, it was suspected that controlling for TNA would substantially alter the associations between social support (as measured by the Social Provisions Scale) and depression at the initial assessment and later with negative mood prior to a course examination. Actual results from cross-sectional hierarchical regression analyses revealed that controlling for TNA reduced-but did not nullify-associations between reassurance of worth support and depression. TNA did not mediate the relation of reliable alliance support to state NA measured 2 weeks later prior to a course examination. Finally, a second study controlling for TNA found reassurance of worth support remained a significant prospective predictor of depression during the week of final examinations. Results are integrated with theoretical and measurement issues in social support research.     

Social Support, Locus of Control, and Psychological Well-Being

Social support seems to be positively related to psychological well-being. Studies have shown that individual differences exist in the ability to mobilize and use sources of support. The current study focused on locus of control as a personality factor that might be related to this ability. In 2 samples it was shown that individuals with an internal locus of control perceived more support than did individuals with an external locus of control. Moreover, Study 1 included a sample of mainly females and showed that social support was particularly related to the psychological well-being of individuals with an external locus of control. In a second study, this moderating effect of locus of control could only be replicated for women. For men, no moderating effect of locus of control was found. The implications of these findings for interventions are discussed.     

Loneliness and Psychological Distress in Women Diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer: Examining the Role of Self-Perceived Burden,Social Support Seeking,and Social Network Diversity

Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings - The aim of the present study was to examine the role of self-perceived burden, social support seeking, and social network diversity in...     

Partner Violence, Social Support, and Distress Among Inner-City African American Women

This study examined the role of social support in the partner violence–psychological distress relation in a sample of African American women seeking medical care at a large, urban hospital (n = 138). Results from bivariate correlational analyses revealed that partner violence was related to lower perceived social support and greater psychological distress, and lower social support was related to more distress. Furthermore, findings based on path analysis indicated that low levels of social support helped account for battered women's increased distress. Findings point to the need for service providers to screen for partner violence in nontraditional sites, such as hospital emergency rooms, and to address the role of social support resources in preventive interventions with African American battered women.     

Aspects of Social Support Associated with Adaptation in Middle-Class,Single-Mother Families

Abstract

This study’s research question is: What aspects of social support are associated with adaptation in single-mother families? In a mixed-methods design, 47 participants were recruited through snowball sampling in Cape Town, South Africa. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and questionnaires were completed. Qualitative analysis indicated two main sources, paid and unpaid support. The quantitative analysis confirmed the following adaptation resources: harnessing family and friend support; having friends as a support; socializing with friends; receiving emotional support, practical help, and advice from friends. Significant differences were found between the family and friends groups for socializing and obtaining financial aid as a support.     

Psychological Wellbeing,Dyadic Adjustment,and Parental Stress among Spanish Families during the COVID-19 Outbreak

Journal of Child and Family Studies - Due to COVID-19, many countries, like Spain, imposed lockdown on the entire population to prevent the virus from spreading. The purpose of this exploratory...     

一项社会支持的心理学研究

本研究以我国东、西部439户被征地农民家庭的主要劳力为对象,通过问卷调查,考察了被征地农民的社会支持。结果发现：被征地农民所获得的总的社会支持水平与城市居民投有显著差异,但在社会支持的某些维度上具有明显差异;我国东部地区被征地农民所获得的社会支持水平显著高于西部地区;人口统计因素(如年龄、受教育水平等)和社会心理因素(如征地前的职业、征地后的经济来源等)对被征地农民社会支持的不同方面具有不同影响。研究认为,征地部门需要重视被征地农民的就业安置或职业培训、以提高被征地农民的社会支持水平。尤其是我国西部地区被征地农民的社会支持水平。     

Social Relations,Coping, and Psychological Distress Among Persons With HIV/AIDS1

The interrelationships among social support, coping style, and psychological distress were examined using longitudinal data from a sample of 212 persons with HIV/AIDS. Structural equation modeling analyses showed significant indirect effects on psychological distress for avoidant coping, feeling loved and understood, satisfaction with support, rejection by family members, discrimination because of HIV status, and number of AIDS symptoms. The inclusion of negative social interactions in the model is an important extension of the stress‐support literature. Feeling loved and understood mediated the relationship between social support and coping style choice. Results highlight the multidimensional nature of the processes that shape psychological outcomes in HIV disease. and suggest several potential points of intervention, including social‐support efforts that increase the sense that one matters to others, and interventions to assist patients to move from avoidant to active coping strategies.     

Religiousness,Spirituality, and Psychological Distress in Taiwan

Most of the previous research on religion and mental health has focused solely on Western, predominantly Christian societies. Using a 2004 national survey of 1,881 adults in Taiwan, this study investigates the relationships between multidimensional measures of religiousness/spirituality and psychological distress in an Eastern context. Our findings differ from previous studies in the West, showing that: (1) religious-based supernatural beliefs are associated with more distress; (2) daily prayer is associated with less distress; (3) engaging in secular-based supernatural activities like fortune-telling is related to more distress; and (4) the frequency of religious attendance is unrelated to levels of distress. Broader theoretical and empirical implications of these findings are discussed.     

Coalitions and Family Problem Solving with Preadolescents in Referred,At-Risk,and Comparison Families

This study tested the hypothesis that the mother-father coalition, parent-child coalitions, and parental warmth expressed toward the child are associated with family problem solving in families with a preadolescent child referred for treatment of behavior problems (n = 30 ), families with a child at-risk for conduct disorder (n = 68 ), and a sample of comparison families (n = 90 ). Referred and at-risk families displayed less effective problem solving. A regression analysis, which controlled for gender of the child, family structure, family income, marital satisfaction, and severity of child problems, showed that strong parental coalitions were linked to low levels of family problem solving in at-risk and referred families. Parent-child coalitions had little apparent impact while parental warmth was highly correlated with better family problem solving. The results may be interpreted as evidence for a tendency for parents in at-risk and referred families to “scapegoat” a preadolescent during family problem-solving sessions. This may undermine progress on family problem solutions and may complicate family-based prevention and treatment programs that use family problem-solving sessions.     

Perfectionism Cognitions, Rumination, and Psychological Distress

The current study examined the extent to which dimensions of perfectionism are associated with a ruminative response orientation and the experience of cognitive intrusions in response to stressful events. Our main goal was to test the hypothesis that individuals characterized by frequent automatic thoughts involving perfectionistic themes would also be characterized by a ruminative response orientation when distressed and they would report intrusive thoughts and images following the experience of a stressful event. A sample of 65 students completed several measures, including the Perfectionism Cognitions Inventory, the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, the Response Styles Questionnaire, the Impact of Events Scale, and indices of depression and anxiety. Correlational analyses confirmed that high scores on the Perfectionism Cognitions Inventory were correlated with a ruminative response orientation and the reported experience of intrusive thoughts and images following the experience of a stressful event. High levels of perfectionism cognitions, socially prescribed perfectionism, and rumination were also correlated with measures of depression and anxiety representingthe tripartite model. The results support the view that there is a salient cognitive aspect to perfectionism and the experience of frequent perfectionistic cognitions and related forms of rumination contribute to levels of psychological distress.     

Religious Support,Motives for Having Large Families,and Psychological Functioning Among Religious Jewish Mothers

The effects of religious support, maternal motivations for having large families, and their interactions on psychological functioning were assessed in a sample of 79 religious Israeli Jewish mothers of six or more children. Religious support from religious leaders, community, and G-d—as well as faith-focused maternal motivation—were all positively related to adaptive psychological functioning. In contrast, self-focused maternal motivation was negatively related to adaptive functioning. Moreover, religious support and maternal motivation were both related to psychological functioning even after controlling for social support. Finally, several significant interactions between religious support and maternal motivation emerged and are also discussed.     

Material Hardships and Social Support Among Australian Families with Children

Using the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, this study examines the experiences of material hardships among Australian families with children and the role of social support in their experiences. The study sample includes 3939 children in the B-cohort (6 years old) and 4030 children in the K-cohort (10 years old). Cohort differences were observed in all analyses. The odds of experiencing material hardships were predicted by various factors apart from income. For both cohorts, material hardships had significant negative effects on maternal depression, which was a significant predictor of child outcomes. Even after controlling for income and other covariates, material hardships had significant negative effects on all outcomes of K-cohort children, but only on emotional functioning of B-cohort children. Social support was associated with the reduced odds of experiencing material hardships. Social support was also a significant predictor of all parental and child outcomes. However, the interaction effects showed that positive effects of such informal support were limited for families who already experienced material hardships. These findings suggest the importance of preventing material hardships in the first place. There is a significant role for public assistance in fulfilling the unmet needs of these families.     

Gender and Psychological Distress

Gender is a multidimensional construct that encompasses the many ways society is differentiated on the basis of sex. To understand the role of gender in psychological problems of the sexes, counselors need to be aware of gender-socialized individual characteristics, which may affect what psychological problems people develop, associated symptoms, and how people respond to the problems. It is also important to recognize how the broader sociocultural context presents men and women with different expectations, opportunities, and rewards.