Social Support and Coping with Diabetes in the Context of Marriage
Author | : Tina Marie Gremore |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : 166 |
Release | : 2005 |
ISBN-10 | : OCLC:64715915 |
ISBN-13 | : |
Rating | : 4/5 ( Downloads) |
Download or read book Social Support and Coping with Diabetes in the Context of Marriage written by Tina Marie Gremore and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many studies have shown a link between social support and health. Mediating variables, however, remain unclear. Given that social support has been linked to stress appraisal and coping theoretically but not empirically, this study examined this hypothesized relationship within the context of marriage. Of all the relationships an individual has in his or her life, the marital relationship is perhaps the most significant. Research also has shown that spousal support may play a unique role in adjustment and that other sources of support cannot compensate for a lack of spousal support. The present investigation sought to elucidate the relationships between perceived social support from one's spouse, perception of stress, ways of coping, and psychological well being among married adults with type-2 diabetes. The hypothesized model predicted an indirect effect of perceived social support on psychological distress via its effects on stress appraisal processes and ways of coping. Findings from this study support the stress-buffering model of social support. Under conditions of stress (i.e., having diabetes), perceived spousal social support buffers stress by affecting the cognitive appraisal of stress/threat associated with having diabetes. These data suggest that the primary mechanism through which social support affects coping with diabetes is by limiting negative responses rather than by increasing positive and adaptive ways of dealing with this stressor. Thus, it is through the route of negative cognitions and behavior (i.e., negative appraisals, maladaptive coping) that psychopathology is best predicted. Positive behaviors were unrelated to psychopathology and did not function to decrease levels of psychological distress.