The Relationship between Social Support and Life Satisfaction as a Function of Family Structure

Abstract

The present study focuses on the discriminant validity of 4 types of social support and the utility of distinguishing support provision from different referents. Hypotheses about the influence of family structure on the relationship between social support and life satisfaction were formally evaluated. The respondents were 512 parents, including 176 married mothers, 172 married fathers, and 164 single mothers. Results corroborate the importance of distinguishing who provides the social support. A cluster analysis revealed distinct referent clusters in which the correlational structure suggested a degree of discriminant validity between referents. An analysis of mean levels of support indicated that individuals tended to receive more support from some referents than from others. In addition, the correlations of social support with life satisfaction differed depending on the referent providing the support. Psychological and sociological scholars have emphasized the notion that interpersonal relationships can influence an individual's well-being. Recent research on social support has revitalized this idea. Social support and its ability to predict well-being are major issues that have been addressed in the literature (e.g., Cobb, 1976; Ganster & Victor, 1988; Gottlieb, 1985; Schwarzer & Leppin, 1988). Identifying the underlying structure (dimensionality) of social support is important. Various typologies of supportive behaviors or acts have been proposed. In theory, the social support system has four different functions (e.g., Cohen & Wills, 1985). Emotional support conveys that a person is valued for his or her own worth and experiences and is accepted. This support results in the enhancement of self-esteem and functions as esteem support, expressive support, ventilation, and close support. According to House (1981) and Gottlieb (1988), the behaviors that function this way provide esteem, affect, trust, concern, and listening. Informational support helps a person to define, understand, and cope with problems. This function often has been labeled as advice, appraisal support, and cognitive guidance. Associated with this function are any behaviors that provide affirmation, feedback, social comparison, advice, suggestions, and direction. Companionship support, also referred to as diffuse support and belongingness, serves to help distract persons from their problems or to facilitate positive affective moods. Activities such as spending time with others in leisure and recreational activities are subsumed under this category. These activities reduce stress and provide affiliation and contact with others. Tangible support refers to the provision of financial aid, material resources, and needed services. This is also called aid, material support, and instrumental support. Any behavior providing money, labor, or any kind of direct resolution of a problem can serve this type of function. There is controversy over the importance of making distinctions between these different types of support. Cohen and Hoberman (1983) developed the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL), a questionnaire designed to measure the perceived availability of these four specific support resources, and presented evidence concerning the independence of the four subscales (see also Cohen & Willis, 1985). However, some researchers have noted that Cohen and his associates use a total ISEL score in several analyses, implying that distinctions among the types of support are not necessary. In addition, high correlations among subscales of appraisal, belonging, and self-esteem in the general population version of the ISEL (reported in Cohen, Mermelstein, Kamarck, & Hoberman, 1984) have led some researchers (House & Kahn, 1985) to conclude that the scale actually differentiates only two independent support functions-tangible versus the other three. The confirmatory factor analysis of ISEL reported by Brookings and Bolton (1988) did not empirically demonstrate the utility of distinguishing four types of social support, compared with a single general index. …

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