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Social Support, Personality, and Life Stress Adjustment

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Sourcebook of Social Support and Personality

Part of the book series: The Springer Series in Social/Clinical Psychology ((SSSC))

Abstract

Research on the relationship between life stress and psychological and medical outcomes began approximately 30 years ago. Despite researchers’ initial optimism, however, it soon became apparent that life stress accounted for only a small portion of variance, with correlations in the. 30–40 range. This led to an interest in variables that might moderate the stress-outcome relationship, that is, variables that might define the conditions affecting the predictive role of life events. Initially, the moderator variable of social support dominated research of this type; the empirical literature on the stress-buffering effects of social support is very large (Adler & Matthews, 1994; Cohen & Wills, 1985). In general, this literature provided some support for the stress-buffering role of perceived social support; received support and social network indices were found to be less consistent stress moderators (Cohen & Wills, 1985).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, 19716, USA

    Lawrence H. Cohen & Tanya R. Hettler

  2. Department of Psychology, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, 45056, USA

    Crystal L. Park

Authors
  1. Lawrence H. Cohen
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  2. Tanya R. Hettler
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  3. Crystal L. Park
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Hamilton College, Clinton, New York, 13323, USA

    Gregory R. Pierce

  2. Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, 48202, USA

    Brian Lakey

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195, USA

    Irwin G. Sarason  & Barbara R. Sarason  & 

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© 1997 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Cohen, L.H., Hettler, T.R., Park, C.L. (1997). Social Support, Personality, and Life Stress Adjustment. In: Pierce, G.R., Lakey, B., Sarason, I.G., Sarason, B.R. (eds) Sourcebook of Social Support and Personality. The Springer Series in Social/Clinical Psychology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1843-7_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1843-7_10

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-1845-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-1843-7

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