ABSTRACT
Social support and coping have become increasingly popular concepts that are seen as providing a new perspective on our understanding of psychological distress and on our options for intervention (e.g., Dohrenwend & Dohrenwend, 1981; Gottlieb, 1983). The belief that vulnerability to stress is influenced by both the coping responses that individuals use and the supportive (or nonsupportive) responses they receive has led to investigations of the health promotive and health protective effects of support and coping among such diverse groups as disaster victims, pregnant teenagers, divorced individuals, and abused women (Gottlieb, 1983; Hodson, 1982; Mitchell & Hodson, 1983; Walker, 1983). The result has been calls for more support-oriented preventive interventions that might increase individuals’ capabilities to withstand and overcome stressful situations (e.g., Bloom, Hodges, & Caldwell, 1982).
