Interviews with 10 first-year Native American students at a predominately White institution focused on perceptions of risk and protective factors for persistence. Grounded theory analyses suggested a model of mixed resources from two clusters of sources that assist adaptation. Participants generally experienced very high anxiety during the initial…

This study examined a threshold model that proposes that social support exhibits a curvilinear association with adjustment and distress, such that support in excess of a critical threshold level has decreasing incremental benefits. Women diagnosed with a first occurrence of breast cancer (N = 154) completed survey measures of perceived support…

This study examined the relationship between social support (Social Provisions Scale) and stress (Perceived Stress Scale) in a sample of male firefighters in a midwestern community (N=53). The authors assessed 5 types of perceived support from 2 sources: peer firefighters and supervisors. Results indicate that reassurance of worth and social…

Investigated direct and buffering effects of social support for 41 laid off timber industry employees. Found that financial concerns and several types of support had strong direct effects on symptoms of stress. Significant buffering effects were found for reassurance of worth support, which provided persons with sense that others acknowledge their…

Examined level of stressors and stress symptoms in lives of international graduate students, as well as sources of social support that might be most useful in coping with stressors. Findings from 272 international students revealed that support from their families had positive direct effect on stress symptoms, and support from academic programs…

Collected survey data from 102 client-counselor dyads with regard to client and counselor third-session working alliance ratings, quality of clients' current social relationships, and clients' representations of care and overprotection in memories of childhood emotional bonds with parents. Social support was significant predictor of client-rated…

Examined the relationship between persistence and perceptions of social support from members of the campus community and from family members for Black (N=53) and White (N=140) college freshmen. Found Black and White freshmen's perceptions of social support and dropout intentions were significant predictors of persistence, but crucial sources of…

Collected self-report data on 6 different types of social support and 3 distress symptoms from 37 pretest clients who participated in 6 counseling center therapy groups (26 completed posttests). Significant improvement in symptoms was noted during the 8-week interventions, and was related to the availability of social support, largely from sources…

Clients in brief therapy (N=34) completed measures of social support and psychological symptoms. Path analysis suggests that improvement in the working alliance was significantly related to improvement in social support and that improvement in social support was significantly related to symptom reduction. The working alliance appears indirectly…

Examined hypothesis that poor parental bonds in childhood lead to adult social competency deficits in part responsible for low social support. Data from 253 undergraduates revealed that parental bonds were positively related to self-efficacy, especially care with social self-efficacy. Parental bonds and social competencies predicted 35 percent of…

Examined stressors (length of unemployment, financial concerns, social support), stress symptoms (self-esteem, depression, physical symptoms, psychological symptoms, locus of control), and job seeking behaviors of 35 members of self-help organization for unemployed professionals over age 40. Results indicated that financial concerns and social…

Surveyed students (n=166) living in graduate student housing to assess social support in their academic programs and family environment, recent stressful life events, and depression and anxiety as psychological symptoms of stress. Women reported significantly more stress, more symptoms of stress, and significantly less support from their academic…

In this survey study of 430 undergraduates, elements of the social competencies and interpersonal processes model (B. Mallinckrodt, 2000) were tested. Two social competencies were hypothesized to mediate the direct effects of 2 independent variables, attachment anxiety and avoidance, on 2 outcomes, psychological distress and perceived social…