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. 2008 Oct;55(4):427-41.
doi: 10.1037/a0013501.

The relationship between social support and psychological distress among Hispanic elders in Miami, Florida

Maria-Cristina Cruza-Guet  1 , Arnold R Spokane, Grace I L Caskie, Scott C Brown, José Szapocznik
Affiliations

The relationship between social support and psychological distress among Hispanic elders in Miami, Florida

Maria-Cristina Cruza-Guet et al. J Couns Psychol. 2008 Oct.

Abstract

This study compared 5 psychological models of the relationship between social support (SS) and behavioral health. These theoretical models, which have garnered some level of prior empirical support, were as follows: (a) main effects, (b) buffering effects, (c) social exchange, (d) equity, and (e) protective health outcomes of providing SS. A population-based sample of 273 community-dwelling Hispanic elders drawn from East Little Havana, Florida (ages 70-100 years old; 86% Cuban) completed self-report measures of SS, financial strain, and psychological distress (PD). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to test the competing SS models. Results indicated that satisfaction with received SS was, as specified in the main-effects model, associated with lower PD, whereas received SS was unexpectedly associated with heightened PD. Reciprocal exchanges of SS (equity model) or exchanges where Hispanic elders provided more SS than they received (protective health outcomes of providing SS model) were also associated with lower PD. The feasibility of a 6th model in which the effects of SS are contingent upon the elder's preexisting PD level is proposed. Limitations, implications, and directions for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Regression lines of psychological distress on received social support (RSS) as a function of low, moderate, and high levels of negative interactions.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Regression line of psychological distress on the index of social support (SS) reciprocity (IR). Negative IR = provided SS < received SS (overbenefited from SS); positive IR = provided SS > received SS (underbenefited from SS); IR close to 0 = reciprocal exchanges of SS.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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