Understanding the Role of Social Support in Managing Stress
Exploring the importance of social support in times of stress, this session covers different types of support - emotional, esteem, instrumental, informational, and appraisal. It delves into how social support can help buffer the effects of stress through the Buffering Hypothesis and affect well-being through the Direct Effects Hypothesis. The session also discusses whether social support functions as a problem-focused or emotion-focused strategy and the evaluation of its role based on individual preferences and matching support to specific stressors.
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Presentation Transcript
Starter: Watch these clips http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y2RHMGqbWk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnD8BYjZiW0 What do you think today s session is about?
The Role of Social Support Where do you get social support from in times of stress? What type of support could you be offered during your exam stress?
Types of social support Emotional Support Empathy, caring and concern. Esteem Support Make the person feel valued. Positive regard & encouragement Instrumental Support Direct help with practical tasks Informational Support Advice, suggestions and feedback Appraisal Support Help the person evaluate their own stress state
How does social support help? Buffering Hypothesis Social support protects person from negative effects of stress. Blunts the effects of stress. Individuals with high levels of social support are less likely to appraise the situation Individuals with high levels of social support are less likely to experience the situation as stressful
How does social support help? Direct Effects Hypothesis Social support is beneficial to well-being regardless of the amount of stress. Social support affects mental health which in itself influences physical health.
Is social support a buffer or does it have direct effects on stress? Direct Effects Buffer
Is social support a problem-focused or emotion-focused strategy? Emotional Esteem Instrumental Informational Appraisal
Evaluation of the role of social support Having large social networks and lots of friends is good for your health. Social support is unhelpful if the person receiving the support does not see it as beneficial and where the wrong type of support is on offer. E.G. People vary in the way that they both find and evaluate social support. The support needs to match the problem. Instrumental support is valuable where the stress is controllable whereas emotional support is more helpful when the stressor is uncontrollable. Social support varies between people and difficult to assess its value and impact. Some social support may be harmful if it is linked with health-damaging behaviours such as drinking and smoking. Sometimes family and friends increase stress! Measuring social support relies on self-report methods. Highly stressed people may not recognise or be able to accept the social support on offer. Very little of the research is experimental.
