Meta-Analysis of the Associations between Social Support and Health Outcomes

To determine the effect of different types of social support on physical, psychological, & stress-related health outcomes, meta-analysis was used to aggregate research findings across 60 published & 7 unpublished studies (N = 11 -- 3,725 Ss per study). Effect size results were equivalent when comparing studies grouped by gender of Ss, longitudinal vs cross-sectional design, & high or low quality. Results between social support & the health outcomes measured indicate small amounts of shared variance that may not be considered significant nor generalizable. Conceptual & methodological issues may have contributed to small effect size results. These findings counter generally held assumptions regarding social support benefits. Continued research into the negtive aspects of social support is needed, & suggestions for further refinement of a situation-specific support paradigm are offered. 4 Tables, 1 Appendix, 134 References. Adapted from the source document.