Summary
This paper examines the mental health functions ofspousal andcommunity support in a sample of mothers with preschool and school age children. The data indicate a strong direct effect of these components of social support upon the mental health of mothers. In addition to these direct effects, spousal and community support are related to mental health as a function of age of child, suggesting a protective or buffering function. The mothers of preschool children reporting low levels of spousal support exhibit relatively high levels of anxiety, depression, lack of mobilization and overall distress. Similarly, mothers of pre-adolescent children reporting low levels of community support exhibit relatively high levels of anxiety and distress. While differential age-dependent protective effects of spousal and community support are evident, the findings indicate that both groups of mothers attach a high premium to the availability of spousal support. Placed in a broader perspective, the results of this study underscore the therapeutic value of supportive social relationships and indicate the importance of developing stable family and community-based support systems to respond to the mental health needs of people subject to different types and levels of stressful experience.
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The data analysed in this paper were originally collected for a study entitled “Stress and Well-Being”, initially supported by a grant from Saskatchewan/Mental Health and the Associated Canadian Travellers (J. A. Lischeron, principal investigator and Carl D'Arcy, co-investigator). Further endeavours were facilitated by the Psychiatric Services Branch, Saskatchewan Health and a Career Support Award for D'Arcy from Health and Welfare Canada.
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D'Arcy, C., Siddique, C.M. Social support and mental health among mothers of preschool and school age children. Soc Psychiatry 19, 155–162 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00596780
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00596780