The Impact of Life Transition on Emerging Adult Attachment,Social Support,and Well‐Being: A Multiple‐Group Comparison

Life transitions can induce distress for emerging adults. This study compared a model of the attachment, social support, and well‐being of emerging adults in transition with a model of those not in transition (N = 378). The transition sample reported less life satisfaction and environmental mastery and higher attachment avoidance than the nontransition sample. The transition sample showed weaker mediating effects of social support, suggesting that attachment accounted for additional unique variance for this group. Counseling implications are provided.     

With a little help from my friends: A computational model for the role of social support in mood regulation

The growing interest in the role of social support in mental and physical health has led to the development of several intelligent systems that aim to use social mechanisms to simulate healthy behaviour. In this paper a computational model of a human agent is presented which describes the effect of social support on mood. According to the literature, social support can either refer to the social resources that individuals perceive to be available or to the support that is actually provided in problematic situations. The proposed model distinguishes between both roles of social support. The role of social network characteristics has been taken into account, as an individual can perceive or receive social support through his/her social network. In addition, the number of connections (friends), strength of ties (relationships), social isolation and social integration have been studied. Simulation experiments have been done to analyze the effect of the different types of support in different scenarios and also to analyze the role of various social network characteristics on the mood level. It is shown that support can help to reduce the induced stress and thus can contribute to healthy mood regulation and prevention of depression. The presented model provides a basis for an intelligent support system for people with mood regulation problems that take the social network of people into account.     

“Transformation Tuesday”: Temporal context and post valence influence the provision of social support on social media

Social network sites (SNSs) such as Facebook have become integral in the development and maintenance of interpersonal relationships. Users of SNSs seek social support and validation, often using posts that illustrate how they have changed over time. The purpose of the present research is to examine how the valence and temporal context of an SNS post affect the likelihood of other users providing social support. Participants viewed hypothetical SNS posts and reported their intentions to provide social support to the users. Results revealed that participants were more likely to provide social support for posts that were positive and included temporal context (i.e., depicted improvement over time; Study 1). Furthermore, this research suggests that visual representations of change over time are needed to elicit social support (Study 2). Results are discussed in terms of their practical implications for SNS users and theoretical implications for the literature on social support and social media.     

Adult attachment style,interpersonal communication competence,and social support

Individuals with a more secure attachment style report having larger and more satisfying social support networks Individuals with a more anxious or a more avoidant attachment style, by contrast, report having smaller and less satisfying support networks The present study examined the role of interpersonal communication competence (ICC) as a possible mediator of the association between attachment and social support in a sample of college undergraduates Strong support was found for the described model. Mediational analyses revealed that global deficits in ICC could account for the smaller social support network sizes and lower levels of satisfaction among both more anxiously attached and more avoidantly attached individuals. In addition, subsequent analyses examining specific dimensions of ICC revealed that the lower support satisfaction among more anxious individuals could be uniquely accounted for by a lack of assertiveness in social interactions For more avoidantly attached individuals, smaller network sizes could be uniquely accounted for by lower levels of self‐disclosure, and less support satisfaction could be uniquely accounted for by a lack of assertiveness in addition to lower levels of self‐disclosure. The implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

The inventory of socially supportive behaviors: Dimensionality,prediction, and gender differences

The nature of social support as measured by the Inventory of Socially Supportive Behaviors (ISSB) was explored in the study. The results of a principal components analysis suggest that it is appropriate to use the ISSB as a global measure of a unidimensional construct. The components that emerged were interpretable, however, and are consistent with the types of social support that have been cited in the literature. Males and females do not differ in overall social support as measured by the ISSB, but females report receiving more emotional support than males do. Social network variables predicted ISSB scores for males but not for females. The network variable that predicted social support most strongly was the number of people a respondent felt close to and could confide in or turn to for help in an emergency. The meanings and implications of these findings are discussed.     

Families and Deinstitutionalization: An Application of Bronfenbrenner's Social Ecology Model

Bronfenbrenner's social ecology model is applied to families that include a member with a developmental disability who are involved in the process of transition from institution to community. An overview of the model is presented as well as discussion of counselors' use of it in providing services to families in this situation. The social ecology perspective can be applied to enhance understanding of the families and to provide a framework for structuring family support during the community transition process.     

Underlying Circuits of Social Support for Bullied Victims: An Appraisal‐Based Perspective on Supportive Communication and Postbullying Adjustment

This study examined the working mechanisms of social support for victims of bullying. Structural equation modeling analyses based on retrospective survey data (N = 448) revealed that the effects of supportive messages varied distinctively, depending on the content of the messages; emotional and esteem support enhanced, but network support impeded, positive reappraisal (the effects of informational support were not significant). Except for that which was related to network support, discrepancy between desired and received support was associated with less positive appraisal. Finally, positive appraisal was found to enhance victims' postbullying adjustment both behaviorally and psychologically. These findings are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications with reference to the literature on social support and coping of bullied victims.     

Bottom-line mentality as an antecedent of social undermining and the moderating roles of core self-evaluations and conscientiousness

We propose that an employee's bottom-line mentality may have an important effect on social undermining behavior in organizations. Bottom-line mentality is defined as 1-dimensional thinking that revolves around securing bottom-line outcomes to the neglect of competing priorities. Across a series of studies, we establish an initial nomological network for bottom-line mentality. We also develop and evaluate a 4-item measure of bottom-line mentality. In terms of our theoretical model, we draw on social-cognitive theory (Bandura, 1977, 1986) to propose that supervisor bottom-line mentality is positively related to employee bottom-line mentality (Hypothesis 1). On the basis of conceptual arguments pertaining to bottom-line mentality (Callahan, 2004; Wolfe, 1988), we hypothesize that employee bottom-line mentality is positively related to social undermining (Hypothesis 2). We further predict a moderated-mediation model whereby the indirect effect of supervisor bottom-line mentality on social undermining, through employee bottom-line mentality, is moderated by employee core self-evaluations and conscientiousness (Hypothesis 3). We collected multisource field data to test our theoretical model (i.e., focal-supervisor-coworker triads; N = 113). Results from moderated-mediation analyses provide general support for our hypotheses. Theoretical and practical implications of bottom-line mentality and social undermining are discussed, and areas for future research are identified.     

An examination of the relation of individual difference variables to loneliness

This study investigated the relation of five individual difference variables (extroversion, depression, self-esteem, neuroticism, and attitude toward others) to loneliness. The relative contributions of two different models that might explain these relations were examined. One model suggests that individual difference variables are related to loneliness through the mediation of social network variables; that is, individual difference variables may reduce people's motivation and/or ability to build and maintain social relationships, which in turn leads to loneliness. The second model, the cognitive bias model, states that both the individual difference variables and loneliness are influenced by the same intrapersonal, cognitive processes. Some people are prone to negative affect and tend to evaluate themselves and their relationships negatively. The relations of self-esteem, neuroticism, and depression to loneliness were hypothesized to reflect the cognitive bias model, while extroversion and attitudes toward others were hypothesized to be related to loneliness through the mediation of social network variables. Eighty-two female and 42 male adults completed measures of loneliness and the five individual difference variables, as well as an instrument assessing their social networks. The results indicated partial support for both models for each of the individual difference variables. Together, the two models did a good job of explaining the correlations of the individual difference variables and loneliness. The implications of these findings, as well as their relation to previous research, are discussed.     

The Interconnected Self: The Social Individual is More Than Just Social + Individual

Although decades of research provide consistent evidence supporting the perspective that the self is divided into social and personal components each with unique and predictable motivational associations, the current paper argues that something important has been overlooked. Specifically, what has been lost is the acknowledgment that although different components of self can be activated, and can have important implications, the two aspects of self are highly interconnected. Specifically in this paper, it is argued that (i) the independent self is affected by social motivations and (ii) the social self is affected by independent motivations. Two studies are presented in support of these hypotheses. We conclude by comparing our perspective with existing theories of the self and by discussing implications for the study of the self.     

An Ecologically Differentiated, Multifactor Model of Adolescent Network Orientation

The paper presents a test of an ecologically differentiated model of social network orientation for adolescents that distinguished between different social network reference groups (family, peers, and nonfamily adults). The model was tested in two consecutive studies. Study 1 describes initial model development (N = 120). Study 2 presents a confirmatory factor analysis with a second sample (N = 430) to replicate the factor structure developed in Study 1. Results supported a three-factor model of network orientation that differentiated between network reference groups. Analyses of concurrent and predictive validity indicated that orientation to network reference groups was differentially related to the perceived quality and frequency of support from members of respective social network groups. Group differences (gender, race) regarding network orientation to different network reference groups were consistent with studies of other social network processes. Implications for the study of the network orientation and the study of social networks more generally are discussed.     

Social support network and adjustment of minors in residential child care

In this study, the relationship between the social support network and the personal, social and academic adjustment of minors in residential care is analyzed. The sample consisted of 102 minors who lived in residential care and who completed the Social Support Questionnaire and the TAMAI. The results show that social support from the family, despite its being the greatest provider of support, does not affect the minors' adjustment. Neither does social support from peers affect their adjustment. However, social support from adults outside the family, and mainly their affection, seems to have a positive influence on the minors' adjustment, particularly at school and in social settings. These results are discussed in relation to their implications for the improvement of programs of residential child care.     

Perceived Neighborhood Social Resources as Determinants of Prosocial Behavior in Early Adolescence

The present study aims to develop an integrative model that links neighborhood behavioral opportunities and social resources (neighborhood cohesion, neighborhood friendship and neighborhood attachment) to prosocial (sharing, helping, empathic) behavior in early adolescence, taking into account the potential mediating role of perceived support of friends. Path analysis was used to test the proposed theoretical model in a sample of 1,145 Italian early adolescents (6th through 8th graders). More perceived opportunities and social resources in the neighborhood are related to higher levels of adolescent prosocial behavior, and this relationship is partially mediated by perceived social support from friends. The results offer promising implications for future research and intervention programs that aim to modify social systems to improve child and adolescent social competencies.     

Support marshaling for romantic relationships: Empirical validation of a support marshaling typology

Research has demonstrated that network support for a romantic relationship often plays a crucial role in the relationship's success. Despite this knowledge, it is not uncommon for romantic couples to encounter network opposition for their relationship, and little research has evaluated what the romantic partners do in this situation. Using “social contextual theory” as its foundation (M. R. Parks, 2007 , 2011 ), this study evaluates a previously proposed typology (J. P. Crowley, 2012 ) explicating the variety of strategies an individual can use to marshal support for his or her romantic relationship. In addition, the study examines different variables that can influence an individual's decision to use certain support marshaling strategies. Future applications of the typology and its implications are also explored.     

Organizational Politics and Job Outcomes: The Moderating Effect of Trust and Social Support

We propose a model for examining the moderating effect of trust and social support on the relationship between organizational politics and job outcomes. The model was tested empirically using data collected among 142 academics in one of Israel's major research universities. Findings based on interaction effects support the hypothesis that trust and social support are good moderators of the relationship between perceived organizational politics (POPs) and several job outcomes (i.e., job satisfaction, organizational commitment, stress, burnout). In other words, the potentially negative aftermaths of POPs can be controlled and reduced when trust and social support dominate the intra‐organizational climate. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings, as well as recommendations for future studies, are suggested.     

A PEER-MEDIATED SOCIAL NETWORK INTERVENTION TO ENHANCE THE SOCIAL INTEGRATION OF PERSONS WITH MODERATE AND SEVERE DISABILITIES

Increasingly, parents, teachers, and students with disabilities are advocating for interventions that go beyond skill training to provide support for participation in integrated environments and support for friendships. The present research demonstrated a social network intervention for youths with moderate and severe disabilities. Two groups of nondisabled peers were recruited to participate in weekly discussions with an adult integration facilitator to increase opportunities for social interaction for 2 students (1 with autism and 1 who was moderately mentally retarded). The groups met to discuss social interactions that had occurred with the students with disabilities and to talk about strategies to promote greater inclusion of the students into ongoing social interaction. The nondisabled students participated in the design and implementation of social skills interventions during transition times and lunch. The nondisabled students used self-monitoring data sheets to record the quantity and quality of interactions. The frequency of interaction, number of opportunities for interaction, and appropriateness of social interactions were analyzed with a multiple baseline design. Results indicated that the social network intervention was successful in increasing the quantity and quality of interactions and that the network strategy promoted the development of friendships. The results are discussed in terms of the need for additional research showing the relationships between increases in social competence, peer-mediated intervention, and the development and support of friendship.     

A general connectionist model of attitude structure and change: the ACS (Attitudes as Constraint Satisfaction) model

A localist, parallel constraint satisfaction, artificial neural network model is presented that accounts for a broad collection of attitude and attitude-change phenomena. The network represents the attitude object and cognitions and beliefs related to the attitude, as well as how to integrate a persuasive message into this network. Short-term effects are modeled by activation patterns due to parallel constraint satisfaction processes, and long-term effects are modeled by weight changes due to the settling patterns of activation. Phenomena modeled include thought-induced attitude polarization, elaboration and attitude strength, motivated reasoning and social influence, an integrated view of heuristic versus systematic persuasion, and implicit versus explicit attitude change. Results of the simulations are consistent with empirical results. The same set of simple mechanisms is used to model all the phenomena, which allows the model to offer a parsimonious theoretical account of how structure can impact attitude change. This model is compared with previous computational approaches to attitudes, and implications for attitude research are discussed.     

Cultural differences in the impact of social support on psychological and biological stress responses

Social support is believed to be a universally valuable resource for combating stress, yet Asians and Asian Americans report that social support is not helpful to them, resist seeking it, and are underrepresented among recipients of supportive services. We distinguish between explicit social support (seeking and using advice and emotional solace) and implicit social support (focusing on valued social groups) and show that Asians and Asian Americans are psychologically and biologically benefited more by implicit social support than by explicit social support; the reverse is true for European Americans. Our discussion focuses on cultural differences in the construal of relationships and their implications for social support and delivery of support services.     

Is Suicide Bereavement Different? A Reassessment of the Literature

The question of whether suicide bereavement is different from mourning after other types of deaths has important theoretical and clinical implications. Some recent literature reviews have argued that the differences may be minimal. In contrast, this article suggests that suicide bereavement is distinct in three significant ways: the thematic content of the grief, the social processes surrounding the survivor, and the impact suicide has on family systems. In addition, problems in the methodology used to compare different bereavement experiences are addressed. Some clinical implications of these conclusions, including the need for homogeneous support groups, psychoeducational services, and family and social network interventions are also discussed.     

Examination of Gender Differences in Modeling OCBs and Their Antecedents in Business Organizations in Taiwan

This research presents a model of organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) mediated by social network ties using gender as a moderator. In the proposed model, OCBs are influenced indirectly by the need for power-prestige, outcome interdependence, and person-organization fit through the mediation of instrumental ties and expressive ties, which are considered social network ties. Gender moderates several paths in the model. The moderating effects of gender are simultaneously examined using data collected in Taiwan. Test results show that the influence of the need for power-prestige on expressive ties is stronger for women than for men, and the influence of the need for power-prestige on instrumental ties is stronger for men than for women. Moreover, the influence of outcome interdependence on instrumental ties is stronger for men than for women. Finally, detailed findings and their implications are discussed.