The role of social support

• What is a significant issue with research on social support and stress coping?

  Men and women differ in the extent to which they benefit from social support in coping with stress.
• What did Lucknow et al. (1998) find in their meta-analysis regarding gender differences in social support usage?

  Women were more likely to use social support than men in 25 out of 26 studies.
• Why are gender differences in coping with stress significant?

  They highlight the varying effectiveness of social support for different genders.
• How does the gender composition of research participants affect the validity of findings on social support and stress?

  Using all-female or all-male participants questions the validity of the research findings.
• What factor influences the findings on social support usage between genders?

  The type of social support being investigated affects the findings.
• In what context do men use social support more than women?

  When looking at instrumental social support, which is more problem-focused.
• Why might women appear to use social support more in studies?

  Most studies focus on emotional types of social support.
• What is instrumental social support?

  Instrumental social support refers to problem-focused assistance.
• What is emotional social support?

  Emotional social support refers to providing empathy and care.
• What is the implication of focusing on emotional types of social support in studies?

  It may lead to an underestimation of men's use of social support.
• What is a potential issue with research on social support and coping with stress?

  Cultural differences may affect the type of social support used
• Who conducted a study comparing coping strategies of Asian and Anglo-Australian students?

  Bailey and Dua (1999)
• What type of culture do Asian students belong to according to Bailey and Dua's study?

  Collectivist culture
• What type of culture do Anglo-Australian students belong to according to Bailey and Dua's study?

  Individualist culture
• What coping strategies do Asian students tend to employ?

  Collectivist coping strategies
• What coping strategies do Anglo-Australian students tend to use?

  Individualist coping styles
• How is an individualist coping style characterized?

  By more explicit support (instrumental) and individual support
• How is collectivist support characterized?

  It is implicit due to the interconnected nature of society
• Why is it important to consider different coping strategies in cultural contexts?

  Different coping strategies are used in different cultural contexts
• What should researchers be cautious about when generalizing findings on coping strategies?

  They should be cautious about generalizing to all cultures to reduce culture bias
• What is a weakness of research on social support and coping with stress?

  There is no universal agreement on where to draw boundaries for each type of social support.
• Who suggested that esteem support is part of emotional support?

  House (1981)
• What are the three main categories of social support according to Schaefer et al. (1981)?

  Emotional, tangible (instrumental), and informational support.
• Why is the categorization of social support significant?

  It highlights the lack of consistency and agreement in types of social support.
• What is a weakness of research suggesting that social support plays a role in coping with stress?

  It overlooks the role of pets in reducing stress.
• What conclusion can be drawn about the categorization of social support?

  It is not a useful approach due to the lack of consistency.
• Who reviewed research findings on pets and their impact on stress?

  Allen (2003)
• What effect did the presence of pets have on children reading aloud, according to Allen (2003)?

  It reduced their blood pressure.
• How did pets buffer the elderly according to Allen (2003)?

  They helped against life event stresses.
• What cardiovascular benefit was reported in relation to pets?

  Reduced cardiovascular risk.
• What was found to be more effective in reducing stress responses, according to one study mentioned by Allen (2003)?

  Talking to pets was more effective than talking to people.
• Why is the explanation for the emotional benefits of social support significant?

  It may relate to not feeling alone, which can create anxiety.
• What role do pets play in providing support, according to the study material?

  Pets play a valuable role in providing social support.
• What is the significance of the presence of pets in relation to stress reduction?

  Pets contribute to stress reduction and emotional support.