ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how the religious dimensions of close, interpersonal relationships are related to the provision of informal social support. Research on relationships and health has focused primarily on the role of informal social support. A social network approach views social support as downstream of social integration and other network factors. Some scholars argue that research on social support has paid inadequate attention to the nature of personal relationships and the meanings both providers and recipients give to supportive behavior. Social networks have received attention in a growing literature on the link between religion and health. The chapter explains the first rigorous examination of how religious homophily is related to social support provision in close relationships. The Portraits of American Life Study rich egocentric network module allows for multivariate analyses that control for a range of other tie characteristics associated with social support processes.
