Social Support and Social Negativity: Positive and Negative Family Relationships and Health

• In Event: 447 - Section on Social Psychology Roundtable Session (co-sponsored with Section on Sociology of Emotions)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 03. Social Relationships and Health

Abstract

Social support is a beneficial social resource linked to improved mental and physical health outcomes. Limited sociological research has examined the effect of social negativity, though several psychologists have linked it to physical and mental health. Using longitudinal data of Miami-Dade County, this paper examines the reciprocal and cross-lagged effects between social support and social negativity, while also predicting self-rated health and depressive symptoms. Structural equation modeling is used to simultaneously predict multiple dependent variables. The findings indicate that social negativity is detrimental to both health outcomes while social support is beneficial. Further, across time, social support predicts lower negativity at time two and social negativity predicts lower support at time two. The constructs are not reciprocally related at time two. Higher support predicts lower negativity but negativity does not predict support. The results suggest a theoretically complex, yet important, relationship between positive and negative social ties and health.

Author

• Peter Vielehr, Vanderbilt University