ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the meaning of social support and related concepts, and reviews the theoretical underpinnings and research evidence as to its effectiveness. It also discusses the balance between professional interventions and ordinary sources of support, noting that the evidence does not always suggest that health professionals are the best providers of social support. Aaronson (1989) found that both perceived and received support had independent positive effects on women's ability to modify behaviors such as drinking alcohol or smoking, and in a more study, CannellaB (2006) similarly found that social support was independently related to positive health practices in pregnant women. Sociological theories give greater focus on the influence of social and cultural environment on health and on the individual's capacity to cope with stressors and maintain healthy behaviours. Research on childbirth suggests relationships between anxiety, oxytocin synthesis and women's needs for oxytocic augmentation of labour and pharmacological pain relief.
