Barbara R. Sarason

Bio: Barbara R. Sarason is an academic researcher from University of Washington. The author has contributed to research in topics: Social support & Social relation. The author has an hindex of 43, co-authored 75 publications receiving 14969 citations.

Assessing Social Support: The Social Support Questionnaire.

Abstract: : A measure of social support, the Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ), is described and four empirical studies employing it are described. The SSQ yields scores for (a) number of social supports, and (b) satisfaction with social support that is available. Three of the studies deal with the SSQ's psychometric properties, its correations with measures of personality and adjustment, and the relationship of the SSQ to positive and negative life changes. The fourth study was an experimental investigation of the relationship between social support and persistence in working on a complex, frustrating task. The research reported suggests that the SSQ is a reliable instrument, and that social support is (1) more strongly related to positive than negative life changes, (2) more related in a negative direction to psychological discomfort among women than men, and (3) an asset in enabling a person to persist at a task under frustrating conditions. Research and clinical implications are discussed. (Author)

A Brief Measure of Social Support: Practical and Theoretical Implications:

Abstract: Two studies leading to the development of a short form of the Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ) are reported. In Study 1 three items selected for high correlations with the total score (SSQ3) were administered to 182 university students together with several personality measures. SSQ3 had acceptable test-retest reliability and correlations with personality variables similar to those of the SSQ. Internal reliability was marginal although acceptable for an instrument with so few items. Study 2 employed three sets of data in developing a six-item instrument (SSQ6). The SSQ6 had high internal reliability and correlated highly with the SSQ and similarly to it with personality variables. The research findings accompanying the development of the short form social support measure suggest that perceived social support in adults may be a reflection of early attachment experience.

Social support: An interactional view.

Abstract: DEFINING AND ASSESSING SOCIAL SUPPORT: Traditional Views of Social Support and Their Impact on Assessment Social Support in Young Children: Measurement, Structure and Bahavioral Impact SOCIAL SUPPORT IN THE CONTEXT OF PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS Social Support: The Sense of Acceptance and the Role of Relationships From Self to Health: Self-Verification and Identity Disruption Social Relationships as a Source of Companionship: Implications for Older Adults' Psychological Well-Being SOCIAL SUPPORT AND STRESS COPING: Social Support, Stress and the Immune System Differentiating the Cognitive and Behavioral Aspects of Social Support SOCIAL SUPPORT APPLICATIONS AND INTERVENTIONS IN CLINICAL AND COMMUNITY SETTINGS: The Role of Coping in Support Provision: The Self- Presentational Dilemma of Victims of Life Crises Social Support During Extreme Stress: Consequences and Intervention.

Social support : theory, research and applications

Abstract: I Theoretical and Methodological Issues.- 1 Conceptual and Theoretical Dilemmas Facing Social Support.- 2 Social Support: Theoretical Advances, Recent Findings and Pressing Issues.- 3 Social Support - Insights from Assessment and Experimentation.- 4 Social Support and Psychological Well-Being: Theoretical Possibilities.- 5 Measuring the Functional Components of Social Support.- 6 Social Support and Social Health.- II Human Development, Personality and Social Networks.- 7 Social Networks and the Ecology of Human Development: Theory, Research and Application.- 8 Longitudinal Course of Social Support Among Men in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.- 9 Intimacy, Social Support, and Locus of Control as Moderators of Stress.- 10 Coping Styles, Social Support and Sex-Differences.- 11 A Conceptualization of Professional Women's Interpersonal Fields: Social Support, Reference Groups, and Persons-to-be-Reckoned-With.- 12 From Social Support to Social Network.- III Loneliness and Perceived Support.- 13 The Psychology of Loneliness: Some Personality Issues in the Study of Social Support.- 14 The Functions of Social Bonds: Perspectives from Research on Social Support, Loneliness and Social Isolation.- 15 Loneliness Research: Basic Concepts and Findings.- 16 Perceived Support and Social Interaction Among Friends and Confidants.- IV Stress, Coping and Maladaption.- 17 Life Stress and Human Disorder: Conceptualization and Measurement of the Disordered Group.- 18 Life Events, Social Support and Clinical Psychiatric Disorder.- 19 Social Support, Life Events and Depression.- 20 Social Support and Children of Divorce.- 21 Limitations of Social Support in the Stress Process.- V Helping and the Costs of Caring.- 22 Theory into Practice: Issues That Surface in Planning Interventions Which Mobilize Support.- 23 Social Support and the Alleviation of Loss.- 24 Reactions to Victims of Life Crisis: Support Attempts That Fail.- 25 The Costs of Caring: A Perspective on the Relationship Between Sex and Psychological Distress.- Author Index.

General and relationship-based perceptions of social support: are two constructs better than one?

Abstract: Two hypotheses derived from a theory of perceived social support were investigated: (a) relationship-based perceptions of social support are distinct from general perceptions of support, and (b) measures of each construct contribute uniquely to the prediction of loneliness. Ninety-four male and 116 female undergraduates completed measures of loneliness and general perceived social support and the Quality of Relationships Inventory, a new instrument to assess relationship-based perceptions of social support, conflict, and depth in specific relationships. General and relationship-based perceptions of social support were found to be related, but empirically distinct, constructs. Relationship-based perceptions of support and conflict from mothers and friends each added to the prediction of loneliness after considering the contribution of general perceived social support. Implications of these findings for understanding the perceived social support construct are discussed.

Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis.

Abstract: Examines whether the positive association between social support and well-being is attributable more to an overall beneficial effect of support (main- or direct-effect model) or to a process of support protecting persons from potentially adverse effects of stressful events (buffering model). The review of studies is organized according to (1) whether a measure assesses support structure (the existence of relationships) or function (the extent to which one's interpersonal relationships provide particular resources) and (2) the degree of specificity (vs globality) of the scale. Special attention is given to methodological characteristics that are requisite for a fair comparison of the models. It is concluded that there is evidence consistent with both models. Evidence for the buffering model is found when the social support measure assesses the perceived availability of interpersonal resources that are responsive to the needs elicited by stressful events. Evidence for a main effect model is found when the support measure assesses a person's degree of integration in a large social network. Both conceptualizations of social support are correct in some respects, but each represents a different process through which social support may affect well-being. Implications for theories of social support processes and for the design of preventive interventions are discussed.

Assessing Coping Strategies: A Theoretically Based Approach

Abstract: We developed a multidimensional coping inventory to assess the different ways in which people respond to stress. Five scales (of four items each) measure conceptually distinct aspects of problem-focused coping (active coping, planning, suppression of competing activities, restraint coping, seeking of instrumental social support); five scales measure aspects of what might be viewed as emotional-focused coping (seeking of emotional social support, positive reinterpretation, acceptance, denial, turning to religion); and three scales measure coping responses that arguably are less useful (focus on and venting of emotions, behavioral disengagement, mental disengagement). Study 1 reports the development of scale items. Study 2 reports correlations between the various coping scales and several theoretically relevant personality measures in an effort to provide preliminary information about the inventory's convergent and discriminant validity. Study 3 uses the inventory to assess coping responses among a group of undergraduates who were attempting to cope with a specific stressful episode. This study also allowed an initial examination of associations between dispositional and situational coping tendencies.

Conservation of resources. A new attempt at conceptualizing stress.

Abstract: Major perspectives concerning stress are presented with the goal of clarifying the nature of what has proved to be a heuristic but vague construct. Current conceptualizations of stress are challenged as being too phenomenological and ambiguous, and consequently, not given to direct empirical testing. Indeed, it is argued that researchers have tended to avoid the problem of defining stress, choosing to study stress without reference to a clear framework. A new stress model called the model of conservation of resources is presented as an alternative. This resource-oriented model is based on the supposition that people strive to retain, project, and build resources and that what is threatening to them is the potential or actual loss of these valued resources. Implications of the model of conservation of resources for new research directions are discussed.

Subjective Well-Being: Three Decades of Progress

Abstract: W. Wilson's (1967) review of the area of subjective well-being (SWB) advanced several conclusions regarding those who report high levels of "happiness". A number of his conclusions have been overturned: youth and modest aspirations no longer are seen as prerequisites of SWB. E. Diener's (1984) review placed greater emphasis on theories that stressed psychological factors. In the current article, the authors review current evidence for Wilson's conclusions and discuss modern theories of SWB that stress dispositional influences, adaptation, goals, and coping strategies. The next steps in the evolution of the field are to comprehend the interaction of psychological factors with life circumstances in producing SWB, to understand the causal pathways leading to happiness, understand the processes underlying adaptation to events, and develop theories that explain why certain variables differentially influence the different components of SWV (life satisfaction, pleasant affect, and unpleasant affect).

The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support

Abstract: The development of a self-report measure of subjectively assessed social support, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), is described. Subjects included 136 female and 139 male university undergraduates. Three subscales, each addressing a different source of support, were identified and found to have strong factorial validity: (a) Family, (b) Friends, and (c) Significant Other. In addition, the research demonstrated that the MSPSS has good internal and test-retest reliability as well as moderate construct validity. As predicted, high levels of perceived social support were associated with low levels of depression and anxiety symptomatology as measured by the Hopkins Symptom Checklist. Gender differences with respect to the MSPSS are also presented. The value of the MSPSS as a research instrument is discussed, along with implications for future research.