ABSTRACT
Social support has been one of the most rigorously and frequently researched psychosocial resources (Thoits, 1995).The notion that people feel the need to be associated with others who provide love, warmth, social ties and a sense of belonging has long been considered as an emotionally satisfying aspect of life. Indeed, many philosophers have discussed the social needs of people and psychologists have postulated needs for social caring and nurture (Fromm, 1955; Litwak and Szelenyi, 1969; Maslow, 1954, 1968). It has also been suggested that social support mediates the stress—health link, enabling individuals to better cope with stressful events, thereby reducing the likelihood that stress will lead to ill health (Sarason, Sarason and Gurung, 1997). A great deal of evidence exists regarding the availability of social support and the reduced risks of mental and physical illness (for example, Berkman, 1984; Cohen and Wills, 1985;Thoits, 1995).
