Studies // Cited work
Invisible support and adjustment to stress
Bolger, N., Zuckerman, A., & Kessler, R. C. (2000). Invisible support and adjustment to stress.
Level C Longitudinal study doi:10.1037/0022-3514.79.6.953
What this study supports
Supports the claims that many support transactions reported by supporters were not reported by recipients and that these invisible transactions promoted adjustment to a major stressor. A single diary study with one kind of stressor.
- Who was studied
- Couples in a daily diary study of support provision and receipt around a major stressor; the abstract does not state the sample size.
- Design
- Longitudinal study
- Level of evidence
- Longitudinal and repeated-measures studies without random assignment.
Claims that rest on it
Each claim states what the site asserts, at what strength, and with what caveat.
EmpiricalLevel CConfidence MODERATE
Receiving support has not been reliably associated with adjustment to stress; in a daily diary study of couples, support transactions the recipient did not notice promoted adjustment to a major stressor, and a review of 100 support interventions found some support for their usefulness but not which work best for what.
- Scope
- Support between partners around a major stressor, and structured support interventions.
- Caveat
- One diary study and a narrative review; the kind of support that helps may differ across relationships and problems.
Last reviewed · Review due · advice-invisible-support