Predicting receipt of social support: A longitudinal study of parents' reactions to their child's illness.

Greater personal resources, more intimate relations, and lower discomfort in seeking support were related to greater receipt of social support 1 year later, however, chronic stress conditions were found to diminish the effect of individuals' social characteristics on receipt of support.

Abstract

A sample of 101 women whose children required medical attention were interviewed at the time of initial hospital contact and again 1 year later. On the second occasion, their spouses were also interviewed for their assessment of their wives' personal and social characteristics. Greater personal resources, more intimate relations, and lower discomfort in seeking support were related to greater receipt of social support 1 year later. Chronic stress conditions were found, however, to diminish the effect of individuals' social characteristics on receipt of support. Spouses assessments showed moderate agreement with that of their wives, lending support to the validity of the findings. Implications for interventions in health-care settings were discussed.