Preface Contributors and Editors Section I: Foundations of Practice Health Psychology and Medicine: The Art and Science of Healing - Sara J. Knight & Paul M. Camic Assessment Approaches in Health Psychology: Issues and Practical Considerations - Linda Van Egeren Section II: Physical Systems and Presenting Problems Clinical Cardiac Psychology - Albert J. Bellg COPD and Other Respiratory Diseases - Susan M. Labott Chronic Pain Management - Kimeron N. Hardin Dental-Related Problems and Health Psychology - Robert J. Moretti & William A. Ayer - Diabetes Mellitus and Other Endocrine Disorders - James E. Aikens & Lynne I. Wagner Gastrointestinal Conditions and Disorders - Paul M. Camic & Laura M. Gaugh - Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome - Seth C. Kalichman & Kathleen J. Sikkema Multiple Sclerosis - David C. Mohr & Darcy Cox Obstetric and Gynecological Conditions - Susan Caruso Klock Oncology and Hematology - Sara J. Knight Urological Disorders - Steven M. Tovian Section III: Health and Illness - Community, Social, Spiritual, and Creative Involvement Family, Friends, and Community: The Role of Social Support in Promoting Health - Jean E. Rhodes Spirituality, Religion, and the Experience of Illness - Randolph G. Potts Medical Art Therapy: Using Imagery and Visual Expression in Healing - Janet K. Long Reduction of Health Risk in Ethnic Minority Populations - Marian L. Fitzgibbon, & Lisa A. P. Sanchez-Johnsen Index
Jean E. Rhodes
14 Family, Friends, and Community: The Role of Social Support in Promoting Health (p. 289-290)
Case Example
Immediately after learning of her lupus diagnosis, Robin turned to her older sister, Tonya, for comfort. Tonya had strongly urged Robin to make the appointment after witnessing her bouts with symptoms. As they returned from the hospital, Tonya assured Robin that things would be alright; that Robin was a fighter and would battleherway throughthis one too.Most of all, she reminded Robin that she wasn't alone-that Robin's husband and rich network of close friends would be there for her through thick or thin.This proved to be the case.Robin's husband was responsive to even the faintest of symptoms, and her sister and friends provided a steady source of laughs, distractions, conversation, and perspective. Over time, Robin discovered that her illness was, in fact, far more manageable than anticipated-partly attributable, she thought, to her caring network of support.
Indeed, a growing body of literature suggests that people with supportive family and friends remain in better health and recover better from physical and emotional distress than those who are less socially integrated (Hogan, Linden, & Najarian, 2002). Stansfeld and Marmot's (2002) recently reviewed epidemiological studies of social support and mortality and found convincing evidence for the association between social relationships and coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease mortality, and deaths from accidents and suicide. Along similar lines, Reifman (1995), reviewed 13 longitudinal studies of heart disease and found that being married, or supported in other ways, was associated with survival or the lack of recurrence. More generally, House, Landis, and Umberson (1988) reviewed several large studies of support and health and concluded that the risk formortality is higher among individuals with fewer supportive contacts. They concluded that "social relationships, or the relative lack thereof, constitute a major risk factor for health-rivalling the effects of well-established health risk factors such as cigarette smoking, blood lipids, obesity, and physical activity" (p. 541). Hogan et al. (2002) recently reviewed 100 studies and found evidence for the effectiveness of social support in promoting better long-term health outcomes. Along similar lines, Uchino, Cacioppo, and Kiecolt-Glaser (1996) reviewed over 80 studies and found that social support was reliably related to beneficial effects on the cardiovascular, endocrine, and immune systems. In addition to affecting an individual's health and mortality, support from family, friends and community members has been found to influence amyriad of other factors ranging from birth outcomes to the experience of psychological symptoms (Vaux, 1988). For example, it was found that women who had abnormal birth outcomes reported less support from husbands, mothers, and friends during their pregnancies and greater psychological distress. Taken together, the research literature provides compelling evidence for the links between social support and well-being. In the following sections, I will discuss social relationships as they relate to health. Within this context, I will address current issues and their implications for the fields of social support and health psychology.
Social Support Theory and Research
The term "social support" was first used in the mental health literature by community psychologists (e. g., Caplan, 1974; Albee, 1968) who noted its potential role in preventing and ameliorating psychological distress. Interest in linkages between social support and physical health rapidly emerged as medical researchers shifted their focus from single causes of acute diseases to multiple environmental (e. g., stress, psychosocial factors) and biological causes of chronic diseases (House et al., 1988). Within this context, two seminal reviews (Cassel, 1976; Cobb, 1976) established clear associations between social support and physical health. The authors drew from multiple human and animal studies to document the protective function of social support, highlighting the role of social relationships in moderating or buffering the potentially harmful effects of stress and other health hazards.
